Ferrari is the last team left that has a sponsorship contract with a tobacco company, but like all other teams, it ceased putting that sponsor’s logo on its car years ago. Now it is under fire from anti-tobacco activists who claim that the team’s bar code and the red color of the car evoke the sponsor — Marlboro — in everything but actual type. (Take a look at my video below to see how prevalent the color red is for Ferrari, even on their road cars.)
“Leading doctors are demanding an immediate government inquiry into ‘subliminal’ tobacco advertising on Ferrari’s Formula One cars, and the company’s $1 billion relationship with the maker of Marlboro cigarettes,” said an article in The Times of London yesterday.
The sponsorship deal with the manufacturer, Philip Morris, runs out in 2011. When I visited the Ferrari factory in Maranello on Tuesday, I was told unofficially that the deal was likely to be extended. Today, Ferrari has come out with a statement rebutting the subliminal-ad claims:
Today and in recent weeks, articles have been published relating to the partnership contract between Scuderia Ferrari and Philip Morris International, questioning its legality. These reports are based on two suppositions: that part of the graphics featured on the Formula 1 cars are reminiscent of the Marlboro logo and even that the red color, which is a traditional feature of our cars, is a form of tobacco publicity.
Neither of these arguments have any scientific basis, as they rely on some alleged studies which have never been published in academic journals. But more importantly, they do not correspond to the truth. The so called barcode is an integral part of the livery of the car and of all images coordinated by the Scuderia, as can be seen from the fact it is modified every year and, occasionally even during the season. Furthermore, if it was a case of advertising branding, Philip Morris would have to own a legal copyright on it.
Here is a video report I made at the Ferrari factory on Tuesday:
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