Abstract
This confidential 1991 Philip Morris internal memo discusses a meeting of a PM task force established to address the decline in social acceptability of smoking in Europe. In the memo, Bobby Kaplan (Manager of Communications for Philip Morris International Corporate Affairs) writes,
"Our mandate was to devise a campaign which would foster an environment in Europe where smoking remains a socially acceptable activity. There was a basic agreement that we would need to move the public debate and resultant controversy on tobacco from health issues to social issues."
The tobacco company's strategies included targeting social and governmental groups to persuade them that smoking was a social, and not a health, issue. The targets groups included unions, government ministries, political parties, legislative assistants and aides to key parliamentarians, business leaders, and "intellectuals (i.e. sociologists)." Special emphasis was put on influencing the entertainment industry, in both the U.S. and Western Europe. The documents lists as targets the television and recording industries, artists, art organizations and movie producers and directors. Plans seem to include putting on a conference that would combine intellectuals with celebrities. The name "Caroline Kennedy" was handwritten in next to the words "Intellectuals/celebrities Conference." Also listed were businesses (which would be targeted through influencing chief executive officers, trade associations, and personnel managers).
A project's task was to create videos that would portray public health efforts to control smoking in a humorous light and that would "Exaggerate restrictions on individual liberties."
Countries targeted for this massive effort were Greece, Portugal, France Belgium, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Fields
- Quotes
November 4, 1991
Below is an outline of discussions held in Paris at the PM France office on Friday, October 25 with Roberto Forero and Otto Baumrucker of Leo Burnett, Andrew White of PM EEMA, Frank Farnel of PM France and myself. Our mandate was to devise a campaign which would foster an environment in Europe where smoking remains a socially acceptable activity. There was a basic agreement that we would need to move the public debate and resultant controversy on tobacco from health issues to social issues. We identified two strategies, political and communications, and then we listed target groups for which to apply those strategies. Finally, we identified a series of projects over the next year to achieve our objective. Please remember that this was our first meeting and thus produced only preliminary recommendations. We recognize that our strategies to obtain the above mentioned goal must have short and long-term objectives.
A. objective (Long-term): Smoking as a social issue - preserving the social environment to respect individual choice.
B. Strategies: Political Strategy -
Target Groups
1. Unions.
2. Ministries (i.e., agriculture, labor and finance).
3. Political Parties (i.e., local and national).
4. Government (i.e., Administration).
5. Legislative Assistants (i.e., parliament/ministries).
6. Specialized Media (i.e., union press, social commentaries and political press).
II. Communications
(1) Business Leaders
a. CEO's
b. Associations (i.e., trade, employer and advertising)
c. Personnel Managers
d. Unions
(2) Entertainment Industry
a. Producers and Directors
b. Television
c. Record Industry
d. Arts Organizations
e. Artists Government
f. Cultural Ministries/Institutions
(3) General Public and our Consumers (i.e., SRG's)
(4) Scientific/Academic Press
(5) General Media (i.e., Lifestyle, Business and Dailies) (6) Intellectuals (i.e., sociologists)
Projects:
Union Meeting: "Unions in the EECby the year 2000"
1. French unions to take lead.
2. Theme: Western European unions working with Eastern European unlons.
3. Nine countries with three delegates each.
4. Journalists from each of the nine countries to attend. 5. Advertising campaign after meeting to promote results.
6. Timing - earliest would be February 1992.
7. Location - Paris.
- Company
- Philip Morris
- Author
- Kaplan, Robert K. "Bobby" (PMI Public Relations Manager)
1994
- Recipient
- Moreno, Francisco J (Former VP of PM, head of Latin American Div. '90-'93)
Held this position from October 1, 1990 to June 7, 1993.
RegionGreece
Portugal
France
Germany
Belgium
Spain
Poland
Hungary
Czechoslovakia
TypeMEMO, MEMORANDUM
MINU, MINUTES
OUTL, OUTLINE
LitigationStmn/Produced
Named PersonKheel, T.
Depardieu, Gerard - French film actor
Eastwood, Clint - American film actor
Baumrucker, O.
Farnel, Frank (Pm Europe counsel)
Forero, R.
White, A.
Kennedy, C.
Operation/ProjectPM Task force on Social Acceptability in Europe
Named OrganizationCongress
EEC, European Economic Community
American European Community Association (Group through which Philip Morris worked to influence govern)
Subjectsecondhand smoke
secondhand smoke strategy (Corporate strategy to deal with ETS issue)
Corporate strategy
social influence
Social Acceptability (Social acceptability of smoking)The industry fought the decline in social acceptability of smoking through public relations campaigns, legislation, etc.
social policy
Document Images
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PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INC. INTER-©FFICE CORRESPONDENCE
800 WESTCHESTER AVENUE, RYE BROOK, NEW YORK 10573-1301
CONFIDENTIAL
TO: Francisco Moreno DATE: November 4, 1991
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Bobby Kaplan Ike-
Social Acceptability of Smoking
in Europe - First Task Force Meeting
Below is an outline of discussions held in Paris at the PM
France office on Friday, October 25 with Roberto Forero and
Otto Baumrucker of Leo Burnett, Andrew White of PM EEMA,
Frank Farnel of PM France and myself.
Our mandate was to devise a campaign which would foster an
environment in Europe where smoking remains a socially
acceptable activity.
~
There was a basic agreement that we would need to move the
public debate and resultant controversy on tobacco from
health issues to social issues. We identified two
strategies, political and communications, and then we listed
target groups for which to apply those strategies. Finally,
we identified a series of projects over the next year to
achieve our objective. Please remember that this was our,
.
first meeting and thus produced only preliminary
recommendations. We recognize that our strategies to obtain
the above mentioned goal must have short and long-term
objectives.
A. Objective (Long-term):
Smoking as a social issue - preserving the social
environment to respect individual choice.
B. Strategies:
I. Political Strategy - Target Groups
1. Unions.
2. Ministries (i.e., agriculture, labor and
3. f inance) .
Political Parties (i.e., local and national).
4. Government (i.e., Administration).
5. Legislative Assistants (i.e. N
,
parliament/ministries). (n
0
6. Specialized Media (i.e., union press, social 0
~
commentaries and political press).
0
rn
~
o+
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II. Communications
(1) Business Leaders
a. CEO's
b. Associations (i.e., trade, employer and
advertising)
c. Personnel Managers
d. Unions
(2) Entertainment Industry
a. Producers and Directors
b. Television
c. Record Industry
d. Arts Organizations
e. Artists
f. Government Cultural Ministries/Institutions
(3) General Public and our Consumers (i.e., SRG's)
(4) Scientific/Academic Press
(5) General Media (i.e., Lifestyle, Business and
Dailies)
(6) Intellectuals (i.e., sociologists)
C. Proiects:
I. Union Meeting: "Unions in the EEC by the year 2000M
1. French unions to take lead.
2. Theme: Western European unions working with
~ Eastern European unions.
i
i
'
es w
th three delegates each.
3. Nine countr
4. Journalists from each of the nine countries to
attend.
5. Advertising campaign after meeting to promote'
results.
6. Timing - earliest would be February 1992.
7. Location - Paris.
N
ei
~
0
~
~
0
e+
~
~
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II. Intellectuals/Celebrities Conference: plndividual
Liberties in the New $urope"
1.
Media Personnel, Writers and Actors (i.e.,
Depardieu/Eastwood).
. Profile a spectrum of the "anti's" in modern ;
societies.
3. Nine countries with two delegates from each.
4. Advertising campaign after conference to promote
5.
6.
results.
Timing - May 1992.
Location - Paris.
III. Entertainment Industry Conference: wLooking East and
West"
1. Major figures of the entertainment industry from
U.S./Western Europe meeting with counterparts in
Eastern Europe.
2. Theme: To include discussions of advertising
and sponsorship.
3. PM to be sole sponsor (Czechoslovakia government
serve as host).
4. 500 - 600 delegates expected.
5. Timing - end of March 1992.
6. Location - Prague.
IV. Smokepeace '92
1. Theme: Solutions for peaceful co-existence
between smokers and non-smokers without
government intervention and restriction.
2. 25 - 30 countries represented and 150 delegate's
total.
3. Timing - end of May 1992.
4. Location - Copenhagen.
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V. Legislative Assistants Exchange
1. Small groups of legislative aides to key
parliamentarians.
2. Meet with counterparts in U.S. Congress and U.S.
state legislatures.
3. PM sponsor or through third party organizations
(i.e., AECA).
4. Timing - Fall 1992.
VI. Campaign for Youth Non-Stoking (ala U.S. Campaign)
1. Introduce to Europe.
2. Timing - Fall 1992 through Spring 1993.
3. Location - begin in Brussels, then immediately
fan out.
VII. Courtesy Campaign (Basta-type) for Smokers (i.e.,
Responsible Smokers Campaign)
1. Should be part of SRG's plan for solutions
between non-smokers and smokers (Smokepeace '9,2)
VIII. Videos
1. Humorous Spectrum of the "anti".
a. Advertising campaign to support (i.e., EPC
Campaign).
2. Exaggeration of Restrictions on Individual
Liberties.
a. Advertising campaign to support.
IX. Benchmark Survey
1. Update of EEC project.
2. Distribution of results is critical.
3. Ad campaign to support.
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All of the above requires development.
It is understood that targeted countries agreed upon for tY}e
above would be Greece, Portugal, France, Germany, Belgium,
Spain, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Please respond with your comments.
RKK/sij
cc: 0. Baumrucker
F.
R.
A. Farnel
Forero
White
a:BK90
