Deception by Marlboro

A Non Smoking Generation
Deception by Marlboro

Cigarette brands can no longer advertise directly over mainstream channels. But ads for glamour products that carry their logos like designer watches, fashion ranges and perfume still subliminally brand themselves as cool to youth audiences.

To highlight this Swedish NGO A Non Smoking Generation created a fictitious perfume brand, Deception by Marlboro. The only trick was – it wasn’t a perfume at all but a rancid mixture of cigarette butts and H2O. It was launched for real in shopping malls with lavish street marketing events and free sample hand-outs. The hand-outs were also sent to fashion bloggers. The hand-outs and press release pointed to the Discover Deception website where the real purpose of the campaign from A Non Smoking Generation was revealed…