Indonesia has been hard hit recently. In quick succession, a tsunami and then a volcano knocked around the country.  Because the Indonesian government is stretched thin trying to house, clothe and feed evacuees, corporations based in Indonesia are stepping in to fill the gaps. In an effort known as “corporate social responsibility” corporations are taking an active role by paying for disaster relief teams.

Sounds great, right? Well, kind of.

One of Indonesia’s largest tobacco companies, Sampoerna (owned by Philip Morris), along with other big-name companies in Indonesia, paid for a medical camp (ironically, one of the few areas on nicotine-addicted Java designated a no-smoking zone), including flashy four-wheel drive vehicles and cigarette-company branded uniforms for staffers.

While many are thrilled that companies are stepping up to care for the countries they are headquartered in, an equal number are sickened by the relentless barrage of merchandizing by corporations taking advantage of a captive audience in medical camps.

Despite these claims, Arief Triastika, the national coordinator for Sampoerna’s community development efforts, said that his company is only interested in providing assistance to people affected by the volcano -- and is not using the disaster as a promotional opportunity. But if this is the case, why brand all of the items they’re providing?

In an age where companies are all vying for the fickle loyalty of customers, providing a humanitarian service is certainly a sure-fire way to get noticed -- especially for a tobacco company struggling to be perceived in a positive light.

What do you think? Did Sampoerna cross a line by using the disasters as an ad buy? Or should the world just be grateful that they’re providing badly needed services to a suffering population?