Cigarette advertising stopped

"Halal Ekosistem" works, at its core, to protect society from non-halal, harmful habits and to promote a healthy and honest business environment. Regrettably, we are encountering cases on social media platforms of tobacco products being sold through aggressive marketing methods in gross violation of legal requirements.

What does the law say?

Under the legislation in force in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the advertising and promotion of tobacco products is strictly prohibited.

"On Tobacco and Tobacco Products" and "On Advertising" Laws provide:

• Article 4.6: Advertising of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, pornography, tobacco and tobacco products, and other products whose advertising is prohibited by this Law is not permitted.
• Articles 15.3 and 15.4: Offering tobacco products to buyers as gifts in order to stimulate sales, as well as giving other gifts to those who buy tobacco products, is prohibited.
• Article 28: Advertising of electronic cigarettes, hookahs, cigarette papers and other accessories is prohibited.

The legislation describes tobacco products as follows: a product made from tobacco leaf and its components, containing nicotine, active alkaloids, including carcinogenic substances, and causing nicotine addiction (cigarettes, papirosi, cigars, cigarillos, stick tobacco, etc.)

An Audience of 15,000 and the Promotion by a Well-Known Figure

During monitoring on Instagram, we found that a page with 15,000 followers is openly advertising cigarettes and tobacco products, disregarding the law. The most worrying aspect of the matter is that the face of this illegal advertising campaign is one of the country's well-known bloggers. That person's continuous and active participation in the advertising videos, and the presentation of tobacco products as an attractive "lifestyle" element, strengthen the possibility of a direct interest or partnership in this business. The advertising campaign was prepared with such professional psychological techniques (with elements of neuromarketing) that it arouses interest in these products in the consumer, even in people who do not smoke.

A particularly worrying point is that these advertisements:

• Create the false impression that cigarettes are harmless;
• Target the audience of 15,000, especially women and young people, suggesting that harmful habits are "harmless" and "fashionable";
• Support for illegal activity by figures recognised by society is completely contrary to the principles of social responsibility;

Measures we have taken and the outcome

As a responsible member of civil society, we made an official appeal to the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Market Control regarding this violation. The State Service responded promptly to our appeal, carried out an investigation and informed us by official letter that a protocol had been drawn up in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offences against the LLC in question.

Current situation

Despite the relevant state body applying a penalty, we regret to note that the illegal advertisements on that page are still continuing. Ignoring administrative penalties and sacrificing public health to commercial interests is unacceptable.

We, "Halal Ekosistem", call on both entrepreneurs and influencers to respect the law. Targeting society's health for profit is unacceptable. We invite our followers to be vigilant against such manipulative advertising and to protect their health.

- Related news: After our appeal, a state agency had alcohol advertising removed from Instagram