Scarcnet News Summaries (Advocacy Institute)
Advertising Battle Over California's Proposition 10 Begins
Length: pages
Abstract
The advertising battle over California's Proposition 10 -- an initiative to raise the state tobacco tax by 50 cents a pack -- began Thursday when the tobacco industry unleashed the first ad in its $10 million television ad campaign. The industry's ads argue that Proposition 10 will bring in big government and be an unfair tax burden on smokers. "[T]here's a bit more of an understanding now that this is not a cut-and-dried issue, that this initiative would create a large shadow government that is redundant of existing programs," argues Ron Gray of the tobacco-backed Committee on Unfair Taxes. Initiative supporters estimate that tobacco interests will spend a total of $20 million on broadcast, cable, radio and direct mail.
Supporters of the Proposition will counter the industry with a $4.3 million ad campaign beginning on October 13, which will focus on the tobacco industry's pattern of lying to the public and opposing good public health measures. "The tobacco industry has been lying to us for decades. Now they're telling us that Proposition 10, an initiative to help our youngest kids, is nothing but a big bureaucracy," states actor and Proposition 10 backer, Rob Reiner. In addition, the advertisements in favor of Proposition 10 will feature former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, and former Republican Senate candidate Michael Huffington.
Source: Jill Lawrence, "Star Power Takes On Big Tobacco," USA TODAY, October 2, 1998, p. A3.