padt - Very sure only in Indonesia, where a heartless government could not care less about their countrymen dying in agony and in the hundreds of thousands, they only about revenues and kickbacks from the tobacco companies.

Have to agree with your comment though, for many millions of Indonesians, life is so miserable that a ciggie is their only pleasure.

"It would be interesting to discover whether this advertisement was thought up only for the Indonesian market...". I am not aware of any other market that still allows tobacco advertisement. Not Singapore, Malaysia and definitely not EC.

It would be interesting to discover whether this advertisement was thought up only for the Indonesian market and is not displayed anywhere else in the world.

If that is the case, these people do their market research very thoroughly and cynically. Therefore if they came up with this ad - there was a good chance it thier research found that it would resonate with the Indonesian way of thinking and appeal to the Indonesian consumers.

Offensive and all that it is - monumentally so - I am afraid Indonesians, who spend as much on cigarettes second only to what they spend on rice - have to wear it. The ciggies are for most Indonesians their 'best friend' it would seem.

The cigarette companies are disgustingly perverse in their marketing - especially the money spent enticing children to smoke - but face the facts - Indonesians fall for it. Why do they fall for such a crass, studid and monumentally lethal statement?

It might say something about Indonesian culture - and values - and people's inability to be discerning and critical and form an opinion.

I guess all these things are difficult in a society with a dreadful education system and a feudal mentality - and where life is cheap - and - after all - fate rules everything - so if you are going to die of cancer - well, it was written anyway.

And again, for some people in the grinding poverty that is daily life in Indonesia for millions - a ciggie IS their only friend and consolation.

Its a disgusting and insulting advertisement - it is an affront to human dignity - but so are a lot of things that confront Indonesians daily and are acceopted, taken for granted or over looked.

I think William Morris know what they are on about and who they are marketing to.

What's disturbing ultimately about this ad is that there is a chance it is a mirror held up to millions of Indonesians saying: Hey, this is You!

Like politicians, we get the advertising we deserve - because research shows that's what our values are.