Leading doctors in the UK are demanding a government investigation into the Marlboro Barcode which features on the Ferrari F10, and has featured on numerous Ferrari F1 cars since the Tobacco advertising ban in 2002.
The logo, doctors say, is a form of ‘subliminal advertising’ where a brand is so famous and well-known, that consumers are reminded of it, without actually seeing it.
“The bar code looks like the bottom half of a packet of Marlboro cigarettes. I was stunned when I saw it,” John Britton, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and director of its tobacco advisory group told The Times.
“This is pushing at the limits. If you look at how the bar code has evolved over the last four years, it looks like a creeping branding.”
A spokesman for the Italian team added: “The bar code is part of the livery of the car, it is not part of a subliminal advertising campaign.”
In 2005 Phillip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes extended a deal to sponsor Ferrari until 2011, despite a ban on tobacco advertising. The value of the sponsorship has been put at around £65 million ($100m) per year, however a Ferrari spokesperson said this figure was much lower.
Philip Morris added: “We are confident that our relationship with Ferrari does not violate the UK 2002 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act. The Formula One Grand Prix in the UK does not involve any race cars, team apparel, equipment or track signage carrying tobacco product branding. The same is true for all other Formula One races across the world.”
