Since the early 20th century, the large cigarette companies used different marketing tactics to advertise and promote the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. This took multifarious forms. Some companies used tokens, others cigarette cards. Quality advertising gifts were also used to make friends of the businesses’ customers with the prospect of maintaining repeat business and client loyalty. Health warnings were inexistant and smoking was encouraged as something beneficial.

Attractive graphic design

The design on tobacco products, especially tins and packets, consisted of some amazing colourful artwork that were meant to attract high class consumers both locally and when exported.

The medical profession and health warnings

The health profession until the 1950s seemed on the side of cigarette manufacturers and complicit in promoting smoking, snuffing and chewing tobacco as healthy habits. Some cigarette packets even went as far as carrying such brands as “Doctor’s Special”. This brand was produced in Malta by A. Callus & Co., another firm during wartime Malta produced “M.D. Non-Throat Virginia Cigarettes” as a war emergency packing. Non throat, in this context meant that such cigarettes were not harmful to the throat. This brand was manufactured locally by the Association of Cigarette Manufacturers.

Moreover, there was a non-existence of health warnings on tobacco products. It was in the 1960s that health warnings were placed in a very inconspicuous way and in small text on the inner sleeves of cigarette packets. Some packets also carried the amount of chemical content (such as nicotine) of the product. A particular brand manufactured by A. Attard of 13, Old Railway Track, Sta Venera had also small text on the inner sleeve as “Cigs. Can seriously damage your health”. In a similar way Black Knight cigarettes manufactured by L. Attard of 230a, St Paul’s Street, Valletta carried the warning “DANGER: Govt. Health Warning. Cigarettes can seriously damage your health”. It was in 1988 that legislation was enacted to make health warnings conspicuous. Eventually very graphic pictorial warnings of the damage smoking produces were also placed covering most of the front part of the package.

Cigarette advertising and sponsorships

One company, B.A.T (British American Tobacco) had its fully-fledged gift scheme office since the 1920s. As the years rolled by B.A.T developed a strong connection with Maltese football. The twinning of this foremost tobacco brand name with Maltese football, through the Malta Football Association (MFA), turned out to be immensely fruitful for the sport.

Throughout well over 20 years, the company’s financial backing at every conceivable level provided the MFA with resources which were channelled towards giving the game a technical and infrastructural facelift.

Tangible proof of this could be seen at the stadium. The Rothmans Stand, the scoreboard, management at Ta’ Qali Technical Complex maintained high standards comparable to those in similar places abroad.

Domestic competitions were sponsored by the company over several years, while the national team had a fair share of assistance through improved technical amenities, which the MFA, through the financial backing of Rothmans, could provide. The company also extended its sponsorship to the local Sportswriters’ Association, the organisers of national sports contests, monthly football awards, annual reunions of veteran footballers, individual sportswriters and social sporting events of every genre.

Even international football competitions such as the Rothmans International Football Tournament, accrued sponsorship benefits. Since 1986, the MFA staged 11 biennial tournaments, Malta being initially represented by a MFA XI and eventually by the Maltese national team. Our lads’ success in the competition in 1992 and 2002 has enriched the legacy which Rothmans left.

Legislation banning firms of tobacco products from sponsoring sports events worldwide came into effect practically with the start of the 2002-2003 football season. This meant that the partnership between Rothmans and the Malta F.A had to come to an end.

However, years of fruitful bondage which have generated much-needed oxygen for football on our island, will never be forgotten. The sport is so much richer, thanks to those strong ties build along the years.

Football lovers in Malta shall forever be grateful for what many consider to be the “golden era” of the game marked by Rothmans.

To wean off people from smoking, draft rules were drawn up to ban tobacco billboards. These billboards were used to advertise smoking-related competitions and promotions such as a chance of winning a luxurious car in a lottery. To take part in the lottery participants had the show proof of buying a packet of cigarettes.

Tobacco legislation

The legislation enacted as per the titles shown below reveals the different ways smoking, in all its aspects, has been controlled in order to cause the least possible damage to the consumer’s health. Having said that, smoking remains one of the vices that our society has not eliminated altogether as lives are still being snuffed away due to its effects on young and old alike.

·                 Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act (Cap. 315)

·                 Ban of Smokeless Tobacco Regulations (L.N. 88 of 1988) (Revoked by: L.N. 67 of 2016)

·                 Tobacco Products (Cigarette Composition) Regulations (L.N. 245 of 2003) (Revoked by: L.N. 67 of 2016)

·                 Labelling of Tobacco Products Regulations (L.N. 202 of 2004 as amended by Legal Notices 298 and 379 of 2004) (Revoked by: L.N. 67 of 2016)

·                 Smoking in Premises Open to the Public Regulations (L.N. 414 of 2004) (Revoked by L.N. 23 of 2010)

·                 Smoking in Public Places Regulations, 2010 (L.N. 23 of 2010)

·                 Ban on Advertising and Promotion of Tobacco Products Regulations, 2005 (L.N. 406 of 2005) (Revoked By: L.N. 344 of 2010)

·                 Advertising and Promotion of Tobacco Products Regulations, 2010 (L.N. 344 of 2010)

·                 Tobacco Smoking Control (Powers of Authorised Officers) Regulations, 2009 (L.N. 300 of 2009)

·                 Use of Colour Photographs or Other Illustrations as Health Warnings on Tobacco Packages Regulations, 2009 (L.N. 302 of 2009) (Revoked By: L.N. 67 of 2016)

·                 Products and Smoking Devices (Simulating Cigarettes or Tobacco) (Control) Regulations, 2010 (L.N. 22 of 2010)​

·                 Smoking in Public Places (Amendment) Regulations, 2011 (L.N. 493 of 2011)

·                 Smoking in Public Places (Amendment) Regulations, 2013 (L.N. 254 of 2013)

·                 Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, 2016 (L.N. 67 of 2016)

·                 ​Smoking Control in Private Vehicles Regulations, 2016 (L.N. 386 of 2016)