Submitted by Anne Landman on
Imperial Tobacco has been paying out cash incentives and lavishing corporate entertainment on owners of trendy clothing stores and hair boutiques in Adelaide, South Australia, to get them to sell Peter Stuyvesant brand cigarettes in special displays amid their hip merchandise. In the campaign, which started over a year ago, Imperial offers retailers up to $2,000 per store per year to display the cigarettes. The company also treats store owners to free lunches and a party cruise with food, cocktails and all the free cigarettes they want. Marketing kits promote the brand using the slogan, "It used to be extremely dangerous. Now the only danger is you're not the coolest cat on the block." After the Sunday Mail revealed the campaign and kickback scheme, Imperial Tobacco announced it would pull cigarettes out of the boutiques by January 31.
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