Last updated: September 17, 2019
Regulated Forms of Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship
Domestic TV and radio (including all broadcast media such as satellite and cable)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion on domestic TV and radio is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including on domestic TV and radio.
Domestic newspapers and magazines
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic newspapers and magazines is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including in domestic newspapers and magazines.
Other domestic print media, such as pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, posters, signs (not including print advertising at the point of sale)
Other domestic print media, such as pamphlets, leaflet, flyers, posters, signs (not including print advertising at the point of sale)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion in other domestic print media, such as pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, posters, and signs is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including in other domestic print media.
International TV and radio (including all broadcast media such as satellite and cable)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion on international TV and radio is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including on international TV and radio.
International newspapers and magazines
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion in international newspapers and magazines is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including in international newspapers and magazines.
Internet communications
Internet communications (not sales)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through internet communication is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including through internet communications.
Outdoor advertising (e.g., billboards, posters)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion on outdoor advertising is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including outdoor tobacco advertising.
Point of sale advertising/promotion
Point of sale advertising/promotion (other than product displays)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion at point of sale is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including at the point of sale.
Point of sale product display
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, point of sale product display is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including point of sale product display and visibility.
Conventional mail
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through conventional mail is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including through conventional mail.
Telephone and cellular phone
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion by telephone and cellular phone is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including through telephone and cellular phone.
Brand marking on physical structures
Distinctive words, designs, images, logos, sounds, or colors to promote tobacco products in entertainment venues, retail outlets, on vehicles and equipment, or other physical structures (brand marking on physical structures, other than on tobacco product packaging and labeling and print material)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through brand marking is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including brand marking.
Free distribution of tobacco products
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through free distribution of tobacco products is allowed.
To meet FCTC Art. 16 and align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including the free distribution of tobacco products.
Promotions with a tobacco product purchase
Promotional discounts, gifts, prizes, rewards to consumers in conjunction with a tobacco product purchase (e.g., buy one pack, get one free or, key chains, t-shirts, coupons, points)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, promotions in conjunction with a tobacco product purchase are allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including promotions with a tobacco product purchase.
Competitions associated with tobacco products
Competitions associated with tobacco products or brand names, whether requiring the purchase of a tobacco product or not
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through competitions associated with tobacco products is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including competitions associated with tobacco products.
Direct person to person targeting of individuals
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through direct person-to-person targeting of individuals is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including direct person-to-person targeting of individuals.
Brand stretching/trademark diversification
Non-tobacco products or services using tobacco brand names or carrying a brand logo or other brand indicia (brand stretching)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through brand stretching/trademark diversification is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including brand stretching/trademark diversification.
Reverse brand stretching or brand sharing
Tobacco products or services using non-tobacco brand names (reverse brand stretching or brand sharing)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through reverse brand stretching is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including reverse brand stretching.
Toys that resemble tobacco products
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, toys that resemble tobacco products are allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including toys that resemble tobacco products.
Candy that resembles tobacco products
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, candy that resembles tobacco products is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including candy that resembles tobacco products.
Retailer incentive programs
Retailer incentive programs (e.g., rewards to retailers for achieving certain sales volume, enhanced displays, etc.) or other payments to encourage them to sell tobacco products
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion through retailer incentive programs is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including retailer incentive programs.
Paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film or other media
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, and other media is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising and promotion, including paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.
Unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in media that does not serve a legitimate purpose
Unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in TV, film or other media that is not legitimate journalistic, artistic, or academic expression or legitimate social or political commentary
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in media is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should address unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products as suggested in FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines paras. 29-31.
Tobacco industry sponsorship of events, activities, individuals, organizations or governments
Financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry to events, activities, individuals or groups (e.g., groups involved in sports, the arts, politics, charitable or welfare, or other activities, or youth smoking prevention programs)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, tobacco industry sponsorship of events, activities, individuals, organizations, and governments is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco industry sponsorship.
Publicity of financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry if tobacco sponsorship is not banned
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, publicity of tobacco industry sponsorship is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco industry sponsorship and/or publicity of any allowed forms of sponsorship.
Promotion by any means that are false, misleading or deceptive
Promotion by any means that are false, misleading or deceptive or likely to create an erroneous impression about a product's characteristics, health effects, hazards or emissions (covering any term, descriptor, trademark, emblem, marketing image, logo, color and figurative, or any other indicia)
The law does not address tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship. Therefore, misleading or deceptive promotion of tobacco products is allowed.
To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all promotion by means that are false, misleading, or deceptive.
