
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 31, 1993                   TAG: 9310310152
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
DATELINE: PHOENIX                                LENGTH: Medium

SPONSOR COMES OUT SMOKIN'

These are hard times for tobacco companies, but you wouldn't have known it Friday night at the Phoenix Civic Plaza as the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company unveiled its new Smokin' Joe's Racing teams.

The financial and political problems besetting the company were forgotten in the glitz of an extravagant Egyptian motif, complete with lights, smoke, music and pyramids that rose into the air to reveal new purple, orange and yellow race cars.

RJR, for the first time, has decided to sponsor individual cars in addition to racing series.

Next year, in addition to sponsoring the Winston Cup series, RJR will have Hut Stricklin in the No. 23 Ford Thunderbird fielded by Travis Carter. Smokin' Joe's Racing also will sponsor an NHRA top fuel dragster with driver Jim Head, an NHRA Funny Car driven by Gordie Bonin and three AMA motorcycles.

Given the anti-tobacco climate in American society today, some of the racing writers wondered whether they might be witnessing in this glitzy production the last great hurrah for cigarette marketing.

This may be exaggerating the case.

But it is clear that RJR has very carefully designed the Smokin' Joe sponsorship program to try to avoid what may be the next big battle over cigarette marketing - the use of cigarette brand names to promote sports.

Although cigarette advertising has been banned on television since the 1970s, RJR, Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have received tremendous exposure through sponsoring cars, races, racing series, golf tournaments and other events.

But some European countries have banned the use of the Marlboro brand name on Formula One cars. And in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission voted last week to order health warnings on race cars sponsored by smokeless tobacco companies.

Two years ago, Pinkerton Tobacco Co. agreed with the FTC to remove all evidence of its Red Man chewing tobacco logos in the truck and tractor pulls sponsored by Red Man.

The laws restricting the advertising of smokeless tobacco are stronger than those restricting cigarette advertising. But the Smokin' Joe program seems to reflect a feeling on the part of RJR that this may change.

The cars are emblazoned with a "Smokin' Joe" logo, but the "Camel" brand name is all but absent. The cars do carry decals that say "Camel Powered," but the traditional Camel lettering is not used.

RJR also has opted to not use the Joe Camel cartoon-style logo that has generated so much controversy because of its alleged appeal to children.

There are, however, two small, traditional Camel cigarette camels, each wearing a checkered-flag scarf. One is on the front bumper and one is on the back bumper.

It was clear that RJR officials must have spent many dozens of hours holed up in meetings to decide just how to proceed with its Smokin' Joe promotion.

This was evident from the press kit, which featured a "Smokin' Joe" logo complete with the design of a lit cigarette attached to the "J." The "Smokin' Joe" logos on the race cars, however, do not include the cigarette.

But T. Wayne Robertson, RJR's senior vice president of sports marketing, did not wish to confess a grand design in the Smokin' Joe's program.

"This is a race team sponsorship, not cigarette advertising," Robertson said. "Right now there is no tie to the Smokin' Joe's Racing team and any other advertising of Camel. We may or may not put Camel on the car."

The most Robertson would say is that Smokin' Joe "is another dimension of advertising with the Camel brand," although RJR executive vice president James C. Schroer admitted it might be controversial.

Perhaps the anti-cigarette forces will find it less offensive, but they probably won't. They're sure to attack the program as an even more devious way to try to sell cigarettes.

But one might reasonably expect that the RJR strategy will take the company out of the spotlight and leave its primary competitor, Philip Morris, on the front line of the battle.

Philip Morris is not only sticking with its program to promote its Marlboro brand cigarette on race cars, it is expanding it. Next year, all three Roger Penske-owned Indy cars, driven by Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr., will be sponsored directly by Marlboro.

by CNB