Published: October 14, 2005

Marlboro Man's Ad Agency Goes Smokefree

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Leo Burnett pushes cigarettes, but prohibits them for employees

CHICAGO, 10/14/05 -- Trevor Shorey, art director at Leo Burnett advertising agency, lights up outside the agency's Chicago headquarters because he can't smoke at his desk anymore.

The Chicago ad agency that created the Marlboro Man is extinguishing a long tradition: Smoking in the office was once commonplace at the agency, which has counted tobacco giant Philip Morris as a client since 1954. Employees who didn't welcome the whiff of a Marlboro were issued desktop ventilation machines or no-smoking signs to warn others against puffing nearby.

But since July, smokers like Mr. Shorey have had to go outside or to one of five smoking rooms spread among the agency's 30 floors. Burnett's new policy was adopted simply for easier enforcement, the spokeswoman says.

An industry icon since 1935, the agency once followed in the free-spirited footsteps of its founder, former staffers say. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a photo of Leo without a cigarette in his mouth," recalls one.

Mr. Shorey, who works on the Nintendo account, doesn't mind going outside to smoke, but says: "Some people think it's kind of two-faced. We advertise the products but we can't smoke openly in the building anymore."

Even with its limited smoking areas — one is a bar on the 21st floor — the Burnett Building may soon be one of the last public places where one can take a drag. Chicago official Ed Smith and anti-cancer groups are pushing for the city to clear the air in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

"I don't know of any office that allows smoking," says Ron Taylor, director of workplace solutions for the American Cancer Society.

Parts excerpted from Crain's, 10/14/05

To win smokefree air where you live, go to http://www.smokefree.net/alerts.php