Abstract
This 1991 Philip Morris (PM) internal report outlines PM's strategic plans for combating the proliferation of smoking bans in Europe, particularly voluntary bans in workplaces and restaurants. It reveals a desperate company utterly unaware of the absurdity of many of its own contradictions.
Rather than seeking out or acknowledging the truth about the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), one of PM's objectives with regard to ETS science was to "Maintain the debate on the primary [health]issue and ETS."(from Page 2). Other goals were to "Minimize total smoke bans in European companies" and "position PM as a reasonable company and a credible source of information."
Despite wanting to position itself as a "credible source of information," Page 17 reveals that PM planned to commission "counter-surveys," whose pre-determined results would emanate from a different (presumably more credible)source:
"For example, if the [World Health Organization] claims that 75% of the people want smoking bans on international flights, we can counter with our own survey. Since the polling firm would be responsible for the dissemination, the poll would gain credibility."
PM realized that smoking bans were, in truth, popular enough that without the tobacco industry's interference, such bans would soon become widespread: "Left to chance, many companies will adopt the most restrictive type of smoking policies..." PM obviously felt it could not leave such matters to chance, yet one of the company's media strategies to fight the ETS issue was to "Promote the desires of employees to decide for themselves" about whether to ban smoking or not (from Page 3).
PM also targets airlines and trains: "Research shows that most people will accept smoke bans on short plane and train rides...PM must fight for its consumers' right to smoke on long plane and train rides." (From page 12)
Positioning itself as the height of rationality, Page 25 of the report urges a calm dialogue on the ETS issue. PM urges that "Relations between smokers and non-smokers must be guided by dialogue and tolerance." Yet fostering widespread social discontent was also on the other end of PM's to-do list: the same page states that an objective of PM's ETS Communication Plan was to "create a public backlash" (against the decreasing acceptability of smoking (from page 18). Part of PM's plan also included "Establish[ing] SRG's [Smokers Rights Groups] as counterpart of Anti-groups" (from page 25).
In this document, PM also establishes itself as the ultimate actor in the industry's struggle to de-fuse the damaging ETS issue, declaring that if other sectors of the industry fail to take action, PM itself will jump in:
"This plan is complete and ambitious...All aspects covered in this plan must be addressed in each market, but not necessarily by PM. Whenver possible, these issues should be handled by the industry. Nevertheless, in the absence of industry action, PM will fill the void."
Perhaps the necessary outcome of these contradictions is PM's ultimate failure, despite all these desperate measures, to stop the world from advancing towards a smoke-free society.
Fields
- Quotes
"Workplace smoking bans represent the most serious threat to smokers' opportunities to smoke. A total workplace smoking ban would reduce a smoker's freedom to smoke by 50% conservatively.
The threat in Europe is serious. France's new law includes a provision which could lead to governmental regulations on the subject, the Dutch government has started an anti-smoking campaign specifically aimed at the workplace, and a company in Belgium specializes in advising companies on how to deal with tobacco. The company is government sponsored and their message is professionally presented; in essence, it says 'ban smoking.'
As a result of these developments and the continuing trend in the anti's direction, communication on workplace smoking continues to gain priority and is considered crucial."
STRATEGIES
Left to chance, many companies will adopt the most restrictive type of smoking policies....
PM's strategy will therefore have to be extremely proactive by offering solutions which will minimize the problems associated with smoking in the workplace. ON a short-term, these solutions will reduce the opportunities for a smoker to smoke, but will hopefully avoid total smoking bans over the long term...
...The tone of voice in all workplace smoking communication activities are of the essence. The goal is to position PM as a voice of reason by pointing out the extremism of allowing indiscriminate smoking on one hand and total bans on the other...
- Company
- Philip Morris
- Author
- (Philip Morris )EEC Corporate Affairs Department
- Region
- Europe
- France
- Belgium
- Holland
- Britain
- Germany
- Named Organization
- Carma
- Covington & Burling (Tobacco Industry law firm)
Tobacco industry law firm. Was involved in organizing the Whitecoat Project.
- IARC
- IFAA
- II Smokepeace Intl Srg Conference
- Illustra Films
- Jacobs Suchard
- Leo Burnett (Advertising/PR)
Defense
- Lufthansa
- Neuchatel Group
- Smokers Rights Groups
- Steve Parrish Group
- Swissair
- Univ of Louvain
- World Health Organization (Concerned with global public health)
International organization concered with public health worldwide
- Burson Marsteller (Tobacco industry PR firm)
Tobacco Industry public relations firm.
- Named Person
- Gaisch, Helmut W. (PM Europe Science & Technology President)
Director and Principal Scientist, Tobacco Science and Technology, Fabriques De Tabac Reunite, S.A., (1987). Helmut Gaisch was an attendee at Philip Morris's 1987 Operation Downunder Conference, held to determine a new strategy the company could take on the issue of ETS. (PM's "Accommodation" strategy was borne from this conference). Gaisch worked to thwart ETS regulations in Europe using data from INBIFO. He was a Philip Morris European scientist, Head of Laboratories, FTR/Philip Morris Europe. Member to Tobacco Advisory Council (TAC), 1987.
- Gallup
- Harris
- Martin, B.
- 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.
- Scrabanek, P.
- Type
- SPCH, SPEECH, PRESENTATION
- OUTL, OUTLINE
- Litigation
- Stmn/Produced
- Subject
- secondhand smoke
- Corporate strategy
- public relations
Document Images
Page 1: dkt95e00
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ETS COMMUMCATION' NL..~N 1991
EEC CORP®RATL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT - DECEMBER 1990
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ETS COMMUNICATION PROGRAM 1991
THE SCIENCE
OBJECTIVES
- Maintain debate on primary issue and ETS.
- Expose faulty logic of WHO and anti-smoking groups.
TARGET GROUPS
- Specialized journaiists.
- Politicians Interested in health care issues.
- Leading doctors in their field.
- Scientists In relevant fields.
CHANNELS
- Meetings with S&T.
- Mailings of relevant materials.
- Consultants at scientific conferences
(C&8).
- Press briefings.
- Public debates.
MESSAGES
- Primary issue: Smoking is a risk factor, not a cause of
human illness.
- ETS: Scientific evidence shows ETS is not a risk to
human health.
+ MATERIALS
- WHO and IARC reports.
- Scientific articles.
- Articies, books, videos, brochures, etc.
A foundation for the future.
BTS4GO9Z0Z
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ETS - THE SCIENCE
SUMMARY:
Although smoking and ETS rank low as issues of national importance,
the public generally believes that ETS can harm the health of
non-smokers. This false perception is the primary excuse for public
and private initiatives to restrict or ban smoking in workplaces,
restaurants, transportation vehicles and other public places.
As a result, communication on the scientific issues surrounding ETS is
of crucial importance.
STRATEGY:
The general public respects the advice of the WHO and doctors more
than any other source of information concerning health. Therefore,
our strategy is to publicize the WHO's ironic priorities and methods
and to educate doctors on the facts concerning ETS.
Health and scientific journalists will continue to be informed on ETS
science.
METHODS:
- Helmut Gaisch and consultants of Covington Burling will brief
journalists and politicians on ETS through PM organized meetings.
- The PM-EEC public affairs departments will identify politicians
willing to ask difficult and embarrassing questions concerning WHO
policies. These politicians will be invited for individual meetings
with Helmut Gaisch.
- Covington Burling is courting the University of Louvain to
co-sponsor a public debate on ETS. Prominent journalists and
politicians will be invited and it will be videotaped for future use.
- A special presentation on the scientific issues surrounding ETS will
be arranged for leading European doctors. If the meeting is
successful, a regular briefing program will be developed. A direct
mail campaign to doctors will also be tested.
- A book tour for Petr Scrabanek will be conducted.
- Covington Burling will continue to assure that leading scientists IV
attend important scientific conferences which relate to ETS issues. N
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coNCLuSIONS:
Considering the importance of this issue, communication activities on
ETS science will continue year round.
NOTE:
Helmut Gaisch is training other scientists from Neuchatel to be
official PM spokesmen. It would be useful for S&T to hire a scientist
with professional communication and presentation experience to speak
for PM on the issues surrounding this subject.
Meanwhile, Covington Burling continues its recruitment of independent
scientists who understand the complicated issues around ETS and the
danger of the public oversimplification of these issues.
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ETS COMMUNICATION PROURAM 1991
THE WORKPLACE
OBJECTIVES
- Minimize total smoke bans in European companies.
- Position PM as a reasonable company and a credible source
of information.
TARGET GROUPS
- Business leaders.
- Management consultants.
- Unions.
- Journalists.
~
CHANNELS
- Basta and NMA campaigns.
- Business conferences and seminars.
- Direct mail, i.e. CEO mailing.
- Personnel consultants.
- Press briefings.
- Association newsletters.
MESSAGES
- Accomodation is a better solution than a ban.
- Smoking bans ignore modern management principles.
- Proper ventilation solves all IAQ problems.
MATERIALS
- Marketable surveys (i.e. studies on productivity).
- Modern management theories.
- Articles, videos, PM brochures, etc.
A founda tion for the fu ture.
IM4G00Z0Z
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ETS - THE WORKPLACE
SUMMARY:
Workplace smoking bans represent the most serious threat to smokers'
opportunities to smoke. A total workplace smoking ban would reduce a
smoker's freedom to smoke by 50%, conservatively.
The threat in Europe is serious. France's new law includes a
provision which could lead to governmental regulations on the subject,
the Dutch government has started an anti-smoking campaign specifically
aimed at the workplace, and a company in Belgium specializes in
advising companies on how to deal with tobacco. The company is
government sponsored and their message is professionally presented; in
essence, it says "ban smoking".
As a result of these developments and the continuing trend in the
antis' direction, communication on workplace smoking continues to gain
priority and is considered crucial.
STRATEGY:
Left to chance, many companies will adopt the most restrictive type of
smoking policies. The tendency will be to make the simplest decision,
i.e.prohibit smoking, rather than the best one, i.e. accommodation.
PM's strategy will therefore have to be extremely proactive by
offering solutions which will minimize the problems associated with
smoking in the workplace. On a short-term, these solutions will
reduce the opportunities for a smoker to smoke, but will hopefully
avoid total smoke bans over the long-term.
METHODS:
- PM will continue to spread the message of courteous smoking and
instigate a dialogue with companies and anti-smoking organizations by
running a new Basta campaign for the third time.
- A "courteous smoking day" will be tested in a large international
company (perhaps Jacobs-Suchard) to be used as an example of how an
effective smoking policy can be developed.
- A great emphasis will be put on placing speakers at seminars and
conferences of business leaders, especially conferences organized by
international associations. Article placement in these associations'
newsletters will be aggressively pursued. The national markets must
be responsible for developing relationships with their markets'
relevant associations.
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- A11 commun i cat i on on the workpl ace i ssue wi l l be pl aced i n an IAQ
context. The accommodation message will always be reinforced by the
ventilation based solution. The IAQ part of this document covers the
methods to communicate this crucial point.
- A study will be commissioned to study the impact of a total smoking
ban on overall productivity.
- Personnel consultants will be actively targeted. Personnel
companies must be made to see a profit opportunity in advising clients
on workplace smoking.
- Specially targeted direct mailings will be made to top managers and
union leaders.
- Well respected European business professors will be asked to write
papers on the way modern management principles would apply to
developing a smoking policy.
- A video on smoking policy development will be commissioned and
widely distributed to large European companies.
CONCLUSIONS:
Considering the importance of this issue and the evolution of the
subject in Europe, communication activities on workplace smoking will
continue year round.
NOTE:
Tone of voice in all workplace smoking communication activities are of
the essence. The goal is to position PM as a voice of reason by
pointing out the extremism of allowing indiscriminate smoking on one
hand and total bans on the other.
Page 8: dkt95e00
ETS COMMUNICATION PROGRAM 1991
RESTAURANTS
OBJECTIVES
- Motivate restauraters to accomodate smoking and non-
smoking clients.
- Activate restaurant trade against government smoking
regulations.
TARGET GROUPS
- Journalists (trade press).
- Restaurant owners.
- Hospitality associations.
CHANNELS
- Association conferences and seminars.
- Trade shows.
- Association newsletters.
- Direct mailings.
- PM sales force.
MESSAGES
- Be proactive to avoid legislation.
- Legislated smoking bans cost restaurants money.
MATERIALS
- PM brochures (legislative bulletin, solution pamphlets).
- Articles, videos, etc.
- Accommodation program.
- Marketable surveys and studies.
A foundation for the future.
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ETS - RESTAURANTS
SUMMARY:
As unlikely as smoking restrictions in European restaurants may seem,
developments in certain markets indicate that we can expect
continually increasing pressure on restaurants to address the issue.
As of 1991, Belgian law will require restaurants to reserve 1/3 of all
seats for non-smokers and to install special ventilation equipment
with progressively more restrictions over the next few years. Also,
France's new law could lead to regulatory action. In short,
restaurants are slowly getting sucked into the debate.
Our research shows that a majority of people have at one point or
another been bothered by smoke in a restaurant, further indicating
that smoking in restaurants is an important issue.
STRATEGY:
Our goal with this issue should be twofold:
- Position PM as experienced partners of the restaurant trade and as
experts in taste and enjoyment.
- Activate restaurant associations to lobby government and to offer
their members "self-controlling" solutions.
METHODS:
- Arrange a speaking tour of Belgian restaurateurs to speak on the
consequences of legislative action on the subject. The speakers have
yet to be identified.
- Begin a direct mailing from PM to restaurant owners. The mailing, a
legislative bulletin, will inform restaurant owners on the dangers of
any proposed government regulations.
- Build relations with restaurant associations to place speakers at
their events and articles in their newsletters.
- Assist associations in developing solutions-oriented materials and
programs to be sent to their members.
- Participate in at least 2 international industry trade shows with a
PM booth. The booth should be product oriented, but literature on the
smoking issue will also be made available to participants.
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- Run and publicize surveys on smoker spending habits in restaurants.
- Target trade press journalist for interviews.and briefings.
- Advertise in trade press.
CONCLUSIONS:
PM already has strong links with the industry through its sales
activities and our interest can only be served positively by
intensifying the existing relationship.
