Anne Landman's Collection
Ets Media Strategy
Abstract
This report, found in the files of Victor Han (Director of Communications for Philip Morris Worldwide Regulatory Affairs) describes the threat that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1993 rating of secondhand or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as a Group A Human Carcinogen posed to the cigarette industry.
"Indirectly, ETS will have considerable influence on all other tobacco-related legislation, including taxation, marketing freedoms, etc. Of critical importance will be the effect on consumers, practically deprived of more and more locations in which they can smoke, and psychologically given more incentive to quit."
The Philip Morris (PM) report characterizes the EPA as "at worst corrupt and controlled by environmental terrorists" and states that "...without an effort to build considerable reasonable doubt about [EPA's case against secondhand smoke]--particularly among consumers--then virutally all other efforts [to fight the ETS issue] will be diminished in effectiveness."
PM's strategy is laid out: not to fight the ETS issue on its merits, but instead to destroy the credibility of the government agency that declared it dangerous:
"The credibility of the EPA is defeatable, but not on the basis of ETS alone. It must be part of a larger mosaic that concentrates all of the EPA's enemies against it at one time."
The paper describes how the media's focus would be taken off of ETS by the generation of non-ETS stories, stories that focus on "general EPA bashing by credible, authoritative sources." and "EPA ineptitude and, when possible, corruption."
The 13-page report reveals Philip Morris' strategies for a full-bore attack on the U.S. EPA over its efforts to better inform American citizens about the health dangers posed by the company's ubiquitous and largely unregulated products.
Fields
- Quotes
Regardless, for the media and the public, assualted for 30 years with an ever-growing litany of the dangers of smoking, EPA's findings--buttressed by HHS as well as scientific authorities and aggressively advanced by the antis--are inherently believable.
The short term direct results will be:
--...to escalate employer-initiated and legislated smoking bans, --to stimulate an increase in litigation on ETS-related fronts.
Indirectly, ETS will have considerable influence on all other tobacco-related legislation, including taxation, marketing freedoms, etc. Of critical importance will be the effect on consumers, practically deprived of more and more locations in which they can smoke, and psychologicall given more incentive to quit.
The tobacco industry has several large obstacles working against it in its efforts to bring EPA's flawed action to light:
--Little credibility with the public --Less with the media which, in addition, acord the industry limited standing and access, --the tobacco industry is more isolated than most from teh networks of national allies from which other industries, in controversial situations, can draw support.
Philip Morris stands alone in the industry in its understanding, sophistication, resources, commitment to proactive public affairs and credibility, but direct company exposure on negative issues is an internal concern that has merit.
The growing perceptions about and animosity to EPA as an agency that is at least misguided and aggressive, at worst corrupt and controlled by environmental terrorists, offer one of the few avenues for inroads...
...However, without a major, concentrated effort to expose the scientific weaknesses of the EPA case, without an effort to build considerable reasonable doubt about that case--particularly among consumers--the virtually all other efforts...will be significantly diminished in effectiveness. This is the toughest challenge of all, the one against which the clock is ticking the fastest and the one that should be treated with the greatest urgency.
The credibility of EPA is defeatable, but not on the basis of ETS alone. It must be part of a larger mosiac that concentrates all of the EPA's enemies against it at one time.
- Company
- Philip Morris
- Author
- No author stated. Found in the area of Victor Han, Director of Communications for Philip Morris Worldwide Regulatory Affairs.
- Region
- United States
- Named Organization
- 1st Amendment Center
- ABA
- ABA Journal
- AFL-CIO News
- American Automatic Merchandiser
- Burson Marsteller (Tobacco industry PR firm)
Tobacco Industry public relations firm.- Business Law Today
- Business Week
- Chicago Tribune
- Congress
- Convenience Store Decisions
- Convenience Store News
- Environmental Forum
- Environmental Law Inst
- EPA Watch
- *EPA ( use United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- Financial World
- Flue Cured Tobacco Farmer
- Fortune (Magaine)
- General Finance
- Harpers (Magazine)
- HHS, Dept of Health and Human Services (U.S.)
- Independent Business
- Inside EPA
- Law Practice Management
- Legal Times
- Nations Business
- Nations Restaurant News
- Natl Law Journal
- New York Times
- OSHA, Occupational Safety & Health Administration
- Progressive Grocer
- Restaurant Hospitality
- Retail Tobacconist
- Science
- Tobacco Reporter
- US Chamber of Commerce
- US Distribution Journal
- Vending Times
- Wall Street Journal
- ABA
- Named Person
- Borelli, Thomas J. (PM Corporate Scientific Affairs Mgr., 1990)Manager of Corporate Scientific Affairs for Philip Morris in 1990. Also worked for PM Corporate Services in Brussels.
- Cohen, B.
- Ohara, J.
- Parrish, Steven C. (PM, Sr. VP, General Counsel)
Partner of industry law firm Shook Hardy and Bacon before going to work for PM. Was VP of PM Corporate Scientific Affairs in 1990. Defends PM on television.- Siegenthaler, J.
- Cohen, B.
- Type
- REPT, REPORT, OTHER
- CHAR, CHART, GRAPH, TABLE, MAPS
- Litigation
- Stmn/Produced
- Subject
- secondhand smoke
- Corporate strategy
- media campaign
- media coverage
- Corporate strategy
Document Images
