Tobacco Company Sponsors Indonesia's Largest Music Festival

The widely circulated You-Tube clip of the 40-cigarette-a-day Indonesian toddler was a morbidly shocking reminder of tobacco's far reach in the developing world. But the kid wasn't an anomaly -- the majority of men in Indonesia smoke, and most of them start young.

If it's any wonder just why the rates of smoking are so high, you needn't look further than the upcoming Java Rockin'Land Festival, slated to be the biggest concert series the country has ever hosted. The main sponsor of the October 8-10 event is Gudang Garam International, one of Indonesia's most popular cigarette brands. With an all-star line-up of bands, including The Smashing Pumpkins, Stereophonics, Wolfmother and The Vines, it's certain to draw a huge crowd to Jakarta, the nation's capital.

Tobacco sponsorship of this sort is exactly how the industry entices young people to pick up the lethal habit. By associating their products with popular music, sporting teams and other youth-focused events, the industry is able to effectively capitalize on the imagery and identity of artists, athletes and pop culture themes. According to their message on the festival website, the tobacco company makes a direct nod to their young audience, acknowledging that they're attempting to "create a closer proximity for the genre's younger crowds to their idols." Their slogan "If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old. Can You Handle It???" makes it clear the tobacco company is aiming directly at young Indonesians. Whether they intend to or not, the musicians at this festival will essentially become brand ambassadors for this cigarette company. There's a reason why the tobacco industry shells out millions of dollars for this type of relational sponsorship -- it works.

As the fifth largest tobacco market in the world, Indonesia has over 70 million smokers. It's one of the few countries in the world that has not signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. As a result, there are limited tobacco control policies or education programs in the country. Transnational and local tobacco companies are having a field day when it comes to marketing, advertising and sponsorship. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free-Youth, smoking kills at least 200,000 people in Indonesia each year.

However, musicians have the ability to stand up to the tobacco industry. In April 2010, former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson removed tobacco advertising and sponsorship from her Jakarta tour, at the urging of fans and anti-smoking groups. Similarly, Alicia Keys refused to play her Indonesian tour unless sponsorship and marketing from Phillip Morris' Sampoerna brand was halted. It was.

Many of the international musicians at the line-up know that the tobacco industry could never sponsor an event like this in their own country. Anti-smoking experts have called on Australian bands Wolfmother and The Vines to cancel their appearances, unless the sponsorship is pulled. The Smashing Pumpkins, the tours' headliner and biggest U.S. act, have the same power. They can refuse to play unless Gudang Garam International ends their sponsorship and promotion and removes their logos from concert paraphernalia. Indonesia may be just another stop on the Pumpkins' 2010 tour, but the they can make a lasting impression on the country -- for the better. Sign this petition urging The Smashing Pumpkins to stand up to big tobacco.

Photo credit: claudia.rahanmetan