Possible ban on certain colour schemes?

[dogbreath]

I have to confess that, having quit smoking for about 12 years, I started again. And what do I smoke... Rothmans a la Williams when I was smoking before.
Plus I endorse somebody's comment that you cannot be sure that teams are not receiving money via some byzantine route involving Liechtenstein, Cayman Islands etc.

[Jag_Warrior]

Good grief! Political correctness gone mad!

I'm sure within the next couple of years the feminazis will have the grid girls done away with too.

[Yuri Laszlo]

I don't think this is over the top at all. Publicity is all about playing with one's mind and feeding people with ideas and concepts that, at first glance, bare little to no connection to the actual stuff being sold.

If I see two strangers on the street, one smoking a pack of B&H, and the other, Marlboros, I'll "click" much faster with the former, because deep down in the subconscient levels of my psyché I learned that Benson and Hedges is just as cool as Jordan used to be. While this is true for every single type of product, advertising things like alcohol and cigarettes demand particular care, due to these substances' addictive properties.

Naturally, replicating a livery that was used for the last time 25 years ago, in a country where it should have very little impact upon its population isn't a problem. But it sets a precendent. If Renault can get away for blatantly advertising the JPS concept in Canada, then every other tobacco brand will jump on that bandwagon. Same for Ferrari and their Marlboro sponsorship.

As for the argument that they aren't advertising JPS because they're not being paid to do so, that doesn't make any sense. The fundamental principle of publicity is to massively advertise a brand paying as little as possible. Football jerseys are prime examples of that. We actually pay to advertise the brands and products on our favourite team's kits - and if for some reason it becomes a "classic", then I'll still be doing it twenty years later, when some of the companies might not even exist anymore, but people will still know them.

Good grief! Political correctness gone mad!

I'm sure within the next couple of years the feminazis will have the grid girls done away with too.

Well, what use do they have for the people doing/attending the race?

[Jag_Warrior]

Well, what use do they have for the people doing/attending the race?

With the cars getting uglier with each passing season, there's gotta be something pretty to look at.

[jarrambide]

So a black car with gold lettering is illegal simply because a single particular brand of cigarettes is also sold in a black package with gold lettering?


Can The canadian govenment prove that the team is receiving financing from Imperial Tobacco and subliminally advertizing cigarettes. Of course not, as that is NOT the case. IS IT? Maybe if there hadn't been a 25 year break since that livery was actually last linked with a cigarette brand and Imperial Tobacco had been proven to be sponsoring the Lotus Renault team, I might say there was some manner of a case, but it's just BS. I suppose I can't have a baby blue and white car either? Or a red and white car? or a yellow car? or a white car? Or a silver and black car?

Wasn't Canada going to impose a law banning ANY branding of cigarette packaging whatsoever? Everyone would have to sell generically packaged cigarettes with a simple name on the package?


Yet another case of liberal f-tards screwing with peoples lives.

Really?, 25 years?, I feel old.

[Tumbo]

As for the argument that they aren't advertising JPS because they're not being paid to do so, that doesn't make any sense. The fundamental principle of publicity is to massively advertise a brand paying as little as possible.

Actually it makes a lot of sense when u look at the legislation and the fact that it looks at advertising - there is a distinct difference between publicity and advertising in a legal sense and here the issue at hand will be in relation to the appearance of the said car, the said packaging, what specific arrangements are in place, what the aim of the livery is, the product (herein being the F1 team) and it can all get very muddy. I can't see why this is suddenly an issue in relation to the Lotus livery when the legislation in question has been in force for years and there was no sanctions against Ferrari. What we have here is a colour scheme not a box design, these are two separate things...............but hey perhaps the Canadian legal system will decide that rather than continue to follow along in a similar vein to the UK and Commonwealth courts they will adopt an American 'blast everyone into submission' approach.

[nigelred5]

Naturally, replicating a livery that was used for the last time 25 years ago, in a country where it should have very little impact upon its population isn't a problem. But it sets a precendent. If Renault can get away for blatantly advertising the JPS concept in Canada, then every other tobacco brand will jump on that bandwagon. Same for Ferrari and their Marlboro sponsorship.

As for the argument that they aren't advertising JPS because they're not being paid to do so, that doesn't make any sense. The fundamental principle of publicity is to massively advertise a brand paying as little as possible. Football jerseys are prime examples of that. We actually pay to advertise the brands and products on our favourite team's kits - and if for some reason it becomes a "classic", then I'll still be doing it twenty years later, when some of the companies might not even exist anymore, but people will still know them.


Well, what use do they have for the people doing/attending the race?

Why in the world would you advertise a product in F1 if you were not being paid to do so? This current Lotus Renault livery has nothing to do with John Player Cigarettes, it has to to with the color scheme most clearly associated with the color scheme worn by Lotus F1 cars in their most successful period. I still argue that a black car with gold pinstriping is hardly advertising JPS without the stylized logo and the company name.

I don't know why this particular issue gets under my skin so bad, but it's just pure BS. Ferrari had better plan on painting their cars white if they are successful against Renault.

[Yuri Laszlo]

Why in the world would you advertise a product in F1 if you were not being paid to do so? This current Lotus Renault livery has nothing to do with John Player Cigarettes, it has to to with the color scheme most clearly associated with the color scheme worn by Lotus F1 cars in their most successful period. I still argue that a black car with gold pinstriping is hardly advertising JPS without the stylized logo and the company name.

I don't know why this particular issue gets under my skin so bad, but it's just pure BS. Ferrari had better plan on painting their cars white if they are successful against Renault.

Becuase it's good publicity for Renault as well. The team is in the middle of the battle against another "Lotus" team, if they just paint it in Renault colors, it won't be a Lotus, it will be a Renault.

Now, if the fans see the car painted in a vintage livery, everyone will go "Alright, they really are Lotus". However, that particular paintscheme doesn't make people think only about the Lotus brand, it also makes people think about the John Player's brand, which isn't allowed by Canadian law. You don't have to place giant stickers all over the car for people to go "Oh, that's JPS right there", that's not how our mind works.

As I said previously, the JPS deal might not be a huge issue, as the brand isn't even sold in Canada, but for all the other companies that are busting their asses off to try and come up with a way to advertise themselves without advertising themselves, this is a publicity haven.

[Bagwan]

Lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines of press .

And , if they keep it up , it's likely they will have Imperial Tobacco sponsorship .

In an odd , backwards kind of way , they already do .

JPS is a growing brand , and Imperial Tobacco is already putting wheels on it's packs in it's advertising , bringing it back into the limelight , and further complicating the situation .

That keeps JPS , Lotus , and Renault on the stage .
And , soon we will be shown some kind of all black livery , specially designed for Canada , so we won't be allowed to forget the links to the JPS gold stripes that will be missing from the grid .

But , then , there will be those who would prefer the stripe to be yellow (as "Look Alikes" are allowed) and they may be very vocal nearing the race .

With Tobacco being so "hot button" , it should be easy to get some talking head to spew some good quote for the corps to mangle about once a week until the race actually happens .
That is one epic campaign .

And , it seems like one directed at Imperial Tobacco , to convince them that a spot in F1 should be something to consider .

The prince would be proud , eh Billy ?

[F1boat]

The tyranny of the anti-tobacco brigade is getting more and more disgusting and I say this as a no-smoker. I want to vomit when I see personal freedoms bended "for the greater good". Scum!