The reason for this paucity seems clear: If tobacco marketers associate themselves with causes, skeptics will suggest they promote health-oriented causes like fighting cancer or heart disease.

"Product innovation is what drives consumer companies," she added, "and there hasn't been that much innovation" by tobacco marketers in areas like reducing secondhand smoke, a primary goal of Eclipse.

Mississippi, the first state to settle a claim against tobacco marketers, said yesterday that it was seeking an agency to handle an anti-smoking campaign.

In 1971, the tobacco marketers were robbed of an important tool when broadcast advertising vanished.

And Philip Morris was on its way to becoming first among tobacco marketers.

The nation's largest tobacco marketers are undertaking their most extensive efforts ever to entice Americans into wearing their cigarette brand names.

A year ago, the nation's leading tobacco marketer took a giant risk in introducing a variation of Marlboro, the world's best-selling cigarette, with tar levels between those of regular and light brands.

That would have undercut the whole point of the treaty, which is to present a united front against the tobacco marketers.

They said that was particularly noteworthy, she recalled, because of the small amounts spent on the "anti" side compared with the huge sums spent by the tobacco marketers.

In some instances, she added, agencies and tobacco marketers said they did not want the ads to be displayed in the same gallery as antismoking ads.