News analysis
BATs Blackberry-picking endorsement
1 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK; kelley.lee@lshtm.ac.uk
2 University of Sydney, Australia
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Selected customers of Blackberry mobile communications devices have recently been sent an email lauding the reliability of the "Neverfail" operating system which ensures "high availability and disaster recovery" in the case of mobile network failure. On the surface, the message is about Neverfail and Blackberry. However, at the centre of this direct marketing message is a ringing endorsement by British American Tobacco (BAT). Faced with growing regulation of its business, BATs apparent use of electronic co-branding is an example of how the tobacco industry is seeking innovative ways to counter growing marginalisation by public health advocates.
The endorsement boosts BATs image within the business community as reliable, forward thinking and dynamic, by associating itself with cutting edge global information technology and successful companies in that sector. While the message is not overtly concerned with selling tobacco products, the prominence given to BAT in the message and website (http://www.neverfailgroup.com/bat.aspx) allows it
eLetters:
Read all eLetters
- BAT’s co-branding with BlackBerry –tested in Malaysia?
- Mary Assunta
- Tobacco Control Online, 13 Aug 2007 [Full text]
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
