Profitability VS Health: An Exploration into Tobacco Advertising Strategies

The right to health is among the most important human rights. This right can be influenced by certain factors such as the data induced through advertising. Therefore, legal systems have always taken approaches towards prohibiting or restricting the advertisements that endanger health. Throughout history, tobacco companies have advertised tobacco using various strategies, some of which have been subject to debate in terms of "rights" and at times, "ethics". Therefore, recognizing the advertising strategies in this field is of great importance. The purpose of conducting this research is to investigate whether some methods of tobacco advertising, in different eras, have resulted in "the violation of rights", or tobacco advertising is only an ethical issue.

The present research is a narrative review. The data has been collected through library and internet sources, besides referring to legal documents, books and articles. Ethical Considerations: Throughout all the stages of writing this research, authenticity, honesty and integrity have been observed.

The analysis of tobacco companies' advertising strategies indicates that, with the aim of making more profit, these companies have managed to accumulate a significant portion of capital through quite known advertising strategies: targeting women and children; inducing the sense of freedom, power and independence and some other misleading methods.

Prohibiting and restricting tobacco advertising is a crucial issue in protecting public health. Therefore, managing public affairs in the domain of health implies considering restrictions or prohibitions where necessary. Since advertising is a means of conveying specific messages and persuading the audience to achieve certain goals, it is essential to recognize the advertising mechanisms used by major tobacco companies. This knowledge can be used in future public actions such as determining precise prohibitions or reconsidering advertising restrictions.