Tobacco Documents Online

PHILIP MORRIS U.S.A. INTEROFFICE CORRESPONDENCE 120 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017 T0: Distribution DATE: July 8„ 1987.- :,.,. ~~. _. . _. JUL 13 19`37 As you know, getting our issue messages into the media in an atmosphere void of the confrontation and hysteria so common with the anti-smoking movement has been very difficult. We are very excited about a new program that has been inaugurated this month called "PM Editorial Services." PM Editorial Services is essentially a syndicated news and feature service, provided to a huge segment of the nation's newspapers, at no charge. The first package of the PM Editorial Services was mailed last month to 8800 weekly and small daily newspapers. The goal of the service is to become a regular source of high quality material that small newspaper editors will increasingly respect and depend upon. Each month there will be a mix of pieces, some directly touching an issue of concern to Philip Morris and others completely unrelated to company or industry issues. The non-issue features include recognizable names and by-lines that help get us in the door of the newspaper. The prime example of that is the regular column by baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. It serves much as a"loss-leader" sale in a grocery store. We are, in effect, creating a new vehicle for reaching editors, and through them, their readers. We will use this vehicle to address existing company concerns and any new issues that develop in the future. In the first mailing, we have an opinion piece designed for op-ed pages that argues against increasing excise taxes. This article is by Thomas Donohue, president of the Coalition Against Regressive Taxation (CART), of which Philip Morris is a member. Also included is an editorial cartoon which pokes fun at government regulation of average citizens, including "No Smoking" decrees. In the July mailing, we will have an opinion piece signed by a major candy and tobacco distributor critical of the growing tendency of government to restrict the sale and use of legal products. Our editorial cartoon will again take a humorous look at the anti-smokers efforts. The early feedback from editors on our initial mailing indicates that editorial cartoons will be one of our heavily used features. They are also ideally suited for getting across our messages. We plan to use the We The People column in the future to make the case against the proposed advertising ban. Except for "At Issue" and the Aaron column, any t:r of our pieces can be used to carry a company message. .t:. Our primary audience, of course, is the readers of the newspapers that print our material. However, an important secondary audience is comprised of the ~ t~ N~ ~ nn

editors themselves. In fact, we plan to direct detailed issue briefs to them as "backgrounders" on tobacco issues. We want them to be familiar with the industry's arguments on each of these issues. As these editors control coverage of local smoking ordinances, workplace negotiations, and write editorials on excise tax increases, we derive benefit from material they absorb even if it is not published for the general reader. We are excited by the project and initial reaction to our first mailing. The key seems to be "quality." We are giving the small newspaper editor quality material he very much desires but would otherwise be unable to obtain. Should you need additional sets of the attached material, or have any questions, please let me know. Attachment

PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES INC. H. Maxwell J. A. Murphy H. Cullman R. W. Murray J. L. Ferguson T. F. Ahrensfeld R. N. Beane E. J. T. Flanagan E. Houminer G. R. Lewis W. J. O'Connor S. S. Scott H. G. Storr A. Holtzman J. T. Breedlove PHILIP MORRIS U.S.A. PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL G. C. Bible R. L. Snyder A. Whist B. Beaurpere D. Buss GENERAL FOODS P. L. Smith A. J. Schroeder M. Mudd F. W. M. A. V. D. E. Resnik I. Campbell A. Serrano Bissmeyer Buccellato Dangoor W. J. F. F. H. G. J. Campbell J. Gillis J. Laux Newman G. Steele W. B. Taylor 0. W. Dudley E. McQuigg J. L. L. Thompson Zinski C. C. D. T. W. F. H. L. H. T. B. M. D. J. C. D. R. R. E. R. Bates Beck Behan Cawley Cutler Della Crosse Glastein Glennie Goldfrach Goodale Horan Irish Jennings Kochevar Leiber Mazziteli Manheimer Medwar Merlo Mikulay D. J. B. D. L. T. B. S. B. J. R. S. M. D. P. V. L. J. L. Nelson Nelson O'Brien Oettinger Olson Parrino Reuter Sabella Schuyler Spector Stirlen Suwarna Taylor Tso Underwood Weiner Wexler Woods Zuke