Colour-coded ciggies won’t fool smokers

The possibility of the EU forcing the renaming of Marlboro Lights as Marlboro Gold may prove to be nothing more than an expensive smokescreen (MW July 6).

Renaming a product is unlikely to change the associations which users have with that product. Smokers of Lights will simply make the shift to Gold when they find the taste is the same. Thus Gold – rather than Lights – will quickly become the new measure for reduced nicotine, low tar cigarettes. Which is ironic considering that the full strength variant is known as Marlboro Red.

Why doesn’t the EU leave things just as they are.

Michael Graham

Director

Landor

London