In only a few other industries have the competing companies built up stronger brand identities than in the tobacco industry. The decision of the European Court of Justice refusing a ban of advertising and sponsoring of tobacco products was therefore met with applause in the community. Now, however, the European Commission is aiming at a pan-European prohibition of tobacco advertising in the print media, reports Henning Hartwig of Bardehle Pagenberg Dost Altenburg Geissler Isenbruck in Munich
Goods and services are only purchased if they promise some kind of advantageous use to the potential purchaser. One can differentiate between "basic benefits" and "additional benefits" in this respect, whereby basic benefits refer to material/technical qualities of a product (size, quantity, weight, etc.) and additional benefits to social attributes like youth, beauty, success or "social acceptance". Given the increasing homogeneity of goods with respect to their basic benefits, these
