Today, the huge tobacco company put a very slick and probably very expensive brochure (measuring 9.5 x 12.25″) in every New York Post (I’d estimate each brochure cost at least $2.00, perhaps $4.00). Beautifully produced and smartly written, the brochure actually advertises the new Web site of Philip Morris U.S.A..
I have to say this is a nice site — very well formatted, thoughtfully presented and, funnily enough, the focus is on quitting, not smoking, and the harmful effects of smoking. You figure it out — I believe the company recently got slammed with a $800 million law suit — a Web site sure costs a lot less and is cooler to parents and their smoking teenagers. The site is low on actual images which makes the site look kind of like … a blog! Or perhaps a medical Web site. Then again, what images can anyone show these days of happy smokers? Take a look — it’s chock full of good usability, political, and marketing effects.