R.I.P. Tobacco Advertising

TOBACCO ADVERTISING has finally had its final wheeze, its last gasp, and is spluttering to a halt all round the UK.

Tobacco Advertising has enjoyed a long life, starting as long ago in 1789 when the first poster appeared, showed a native American smoking a long clay pipe.

Its modesty meant Tobacco Advertising would be the very last to claim credit for popularising smoking around the world, yet some achievements are undeniable: an estimated 560 people die from smoking every hour of every day.

But Tobacco Advertising has now been stubbed out in the UK.

The House of Commons (which until recently sold its own-label brand of cigarettes) voted on Tuesday to ban the advertisement of tobacco on billboards, in newspapers, and on websites.

Happy times

The death of Tobacco Advertising means no more posters or pages of purple silk, often wittily cut into amusing patterns. It means no more pictures of wide open American countryside full of fresh air, primed and ready for a cigarette to be lit up. It means no more cunningly hidden golden boxes disguised as pyramids or anything else.

A fatal blow was dealt to Tobacco Advertising some years ago with the departure of Happiness is a Cigar Called..., an advertising campaign which brought pleasure to young and old alike - the old enjoying hearing Bach's Air on a G-string, the young enjoying sniggering about it.

Tobacco Advertising in the UK will be survived by its cousins - the sides of Formula One cars, and adverts in other countries, particularly in the developing world, where they are expected to have great success.

No flowers.

---

Add your tributes:

Farewell. Ashes to Ashes. I can't say that I'll miss you. You always left a bad taste in my mouth.
James, UK

Damn! What a fag!
Gareth, UK

Lambert: It looks like we're out of a job, Butler.
Butler: Undoubtedly, sir.
Andrew Jones, United Kingdom

Is the departed to be buried or cremated?
Dom, U.K

You are now leaving Advertising Country.
Max Allen, UK

Consigned to the ashtray of history
Mike State, UK

A slick cut
Mike, UK

Send us your comments:
Name:

Your E-mail Address:


Country:

Comments:

Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.