OSU tells R.J. Reynolds stop using university insignia..

March 14, 2008 - COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University asked tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds to stop using what looked like the university's famous block "O" in an advertisement for their smokeless tobacco product - Camel SNUS.. The ad for Camel Snus tobacco pouches was brought to the attention of university officials recently by anti-tobacco advocates. The ad used in a Columbus alternative newspaper features a man and woman in a nightclub setting with an "O" in the background - see IMAGE. R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard said the company had "absolutely no intention" of using Ohio State's block "O" in its advertisement, which also ran in alternative newspapers in places like Orlando, Fla., and Dallas (also Raleigh). What looks like an "O" is actually part of a "003," Howard aid, but the first zero and the "3" are in a faint outline and the middle "0" is in bolder font. Howard did not know the significance of the number. The ads stopped running last year and will not run again, Howard said. The numbering was also in a brochure, which will be out of stores by the end of April at the latest, he said. ( OSU tells tobacco company to stop using university insignia, Cleveland.com, 3/12/2008) "It was probably one of the more subtle uses that we've seen, but it was still an attempt to tie the audience of the university into the product," said Rick Van Brimmer, Ohio State's director of trademark and licensing services. (North Carolina's top news stories at 10:58 p.m. EDT - OSU tells tobacco company to stop using university insignia) Some related news briefs: Ohio youth are using cigars and smokeless tobacco products and it is a continuously growing problem., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. said yesterday that it will not advertise its cigarette brands in newspapers and consumer magazines next year. and More Camel SNUS ads NO Camel SNUS ad appeared in the What's Up Section of the Raleigh News & Observer. Click on either image to enlarge..