Tobacco Documents Online

?be public healtb avmmunity has aa obligadoa to raise its owa quesboos abaut Next as wiell ao C2relsea and ErmL ?bereis ample reason to sound an alarm abait tbis armeatQOp ofproductl' John Slade, MD. University of Medicine & Deatistry of New Jersey I11111l0lUI a0Y0CaCY iNSTiTUTE Smoking Control Advocacy Resource Center (SCARC) AGTION ALERT August 21, 1989 Michael Pertschuk David Cohen Co-Directo+s Barry R. Rubin General Counsel Frieda P. King Operationa Manager Zoe Mikva Director of Dewbpmertt Phillip Wilbur Director Health Advocacy Resource Center Judy 8utter Associate Director Health Advocacy Resource Center Michele Bloch Program Officer Smoking Control Advocacy Resource Center Nancy Stetanik SCARCNet Manay.r Erta Kflnny 0. Daly Helen Lichtenstein MichaN Morris Administrative Assistants eoard of oiraetoes Patricia Bauman Richard Bol6ng Marian Wright Edelman Susan B. Kin9 Leroy Riehie Joan Shoroy Linda Tan-Whelan Fred YWrtheuner Kenneth Young 1T90 RHODE ISLAND AVENUE. N.W. SUITE 600 WASHINGNN, DC 20036-3118 202-669-8475 FAX: (202) 659-8461 Lssue: The Nezt Wave of Cigarette Products uM=~y In the first half of 1989 U.S. cigarette sales fell at an annual rate of 4%, doubling the 2% average decline in the earlier part of the 1980's. In an attempt to reverse, or at least suppress, the decline of the U.S. market, tobacco companies are introducing "new" products marketed to imply "safer" smoking. These products offer smokers an "answer" to health risks such as nicotine addiction (Philip Morris' Next) and sidestream smoke (RJ Reynolds' Cbelsea and Excxl ). r.w Philip Morris has begun test marketing a new "de-nicotined" cigarette, Next, its latest product designed to entice those in search of a "safe" and non-addictive cigarette. Withh the acquisition of General Foods, Philip Morris obtained Sanka brand decaffeinated coffee. They have drawn the obvious metaphor of the decaffeination of coffee to the reduction of nicotine in tobacco. Next, however, is = nicotine free; the nicotine levels (ranging from 0.04 to 0.09 mg) are actually on par with those of Now and Carlton (0.1 mg). What distinguishes Next is tar levels of 4-10 mg, closer to those of regular cigarettes than the other two low nicotine brands (1 mg). Tar is an important component of tobacco "taste", however it is also the main cause of lung cancer. Next is Philip Morris' answer to the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on the Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction that implicated nicotine as a drug as addictive as heroin. Although Philip Morris carefully avoids calling attention to the hazards of nicotine, they frame Next as a new 'choicj" for smokers. Ads announce Next "offers smokers a choice they never have bad" and "The Next choice is yours". Cleariy, the implication is that Next will not make smokers addicts like other smokers. Studies will need to be conducted to determine a Next smoker's level of nicotine intake. It is unclear whether a Next smoker would have to inhale it more deeply and for longer periods and thus intake more tar than a smoker of a higher nicotine brand. TIMN 311765

A"Smoke Sanka" marketing strategy for Next plays on the link with decaf coffee to imply safety. Advertisements refer to the 'natural process" of nicotine removal and the phrase "De-Nic" appears on the cigarette packages. Philip Morris tries to equate the image of smoking a cigarette with that of drinking a cup of coffee. The coffee lover can enjoy a great many wps of de-caf coffee without suffering the negative health effects of caffeine; such is = the case with Next. In addition to the possibility of market expansion, without an outcry from tobacco control advocates, Next could be a public relations success. Philip Morris can assume the posture of a responsible corporation offering a product in demand by consumers. As Philip Morris spokesman Andrew White says, it is Philip Morris' attempt 'to respond to customers' preference for a broad range of options.' It is.no surprise that even.by tobacco industry standards Philip Morris is sparing no expense in the promotion of Nezt in its test markets of Toledo, Hartford, and Omaha. Spokane is reported to also become a test. market this month. Full page advertisements are being run in national, city and local publications and billboards and store promotions abound. What is a surprise, and a cue for tobacco control advocates, is that the Philip Morris staff is maintaining a"no comment" attitude. Meanwhile, RJR and American Brands are not silent on Next. RJR is running full page ads for its Now brand which aggressively attack Next with a message, 'What's Next? Another cigarette with more tar than Now.' elsea RJR's answer to the annoying and offensive smell of sidestream smoke is Chelsea, a perfumed cigarette. The paper of the Cbelsea cigarette is treated with air freshener which supposedly solves the problem of smoke pollution. Unfortunately, the perfume does not remove the over 38 carcinogens known to be in second hand smoke. Not surprisingly, RJR markets Chelsea to women. It claims to be the first cigarette to smell good (implicitly admitting that all others smell bad), and implies that a woman who smokes a cigarette with a"fresh aroma" is more attractive. The marketing of this cigarette subtlely attracts children as well, with "scratch and sniff" patches in their ads. Although • Chelsea is not the first perfumed cigarette, it is the first to be marketed heavily by Madison Avenue to counter public health measures designed to discourage smoking in public places. F=1 Like Oelsea, Excx1 is made with specially treated paper. However, Fxcrel's gimmick is to reduce the visibility of sidestream smoke. According to John Slade, 'There is no evidence that Fxcel actually reduces the harmfulness of tobacco smoke pollution, only its obviousness " Again according to Slade, Passport, a product similar to Fxce~ was marketed in Canada but didn't make it out of the 1984 test market. Chemists in the American Health Foundation demonstrated that its sidestream smoke contained higher concentrations of certain toxic compounds than traditional cigarettes. ; RJR is marketing Ercel as the cigarette that "breaks the barrier' between smokers and nonsmokers. However, by reducing the visibility of sidestream smoke, nonsmokers may have less of a warning that they are being exposed to the hazardous pollution than with conventional cigarettes. This deceptive tactic may prove to strengthen the barrier that RJR hopes to destroy. TIMN 311766

, Unlike RJR's marketing failure Premier, these three products are all subtle variations of the familiar agarette. No claims are made about "deaner" smoke. The lessons the tobacco companies learned from Premier have been applied to the newest products creating a greater challenge for tobacco control advocates. mechve To publicize the consistent tobacco industry strategy of offering unsafe choices disguised as 'safe' products. Media Bites • It's not a new product, it's a new marketing strategy. • This is the Next way to make exorbitant profits at the expense of the public health. • Next- Unsafe at'any level. • The Latin motto which appears on the Next packages reads, 'Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered!). A more truthful version might read, "We came, we sold, we caused cancer!" • Smoking Exce1 is like carrying a concealed weapon. 1 .1 O. .. -, "It's a beleaguered industry with a beleaguered product. And it's desperately hoping that it has found a way out." Wall Street Journal. June 15, 1989 'Philip Morris is engaging in a wink strategy. They won't concede that cigarettes are hazardous but at the same time they reassure consumers with a wink and a nod that their new noncigarette cigarette isn't the one that everyone is worried about." Michael Pertschuk Wall Street Journal. June 15, 1989 'If the cigarette contains tobacco at all, it will still produce the thousands of chemicals that are in the tar including the 43 that are known to cause cancer." Ron Davis, Director of the Office on Smoking and Health New York Times. May 31, 1989 This takes people who are marginal to the fold - who never smoked or want to cvt back - and gives them a way to participate in the smoking culture." Leo Shapiro, Marketing Consultant New York Times. May 31, 1989 TIMN 311767 I

r Suggested Actions 1. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Each of these products is being marketed with deceptive practices. By using the phrase "de-nic" Philip Morris is implying that all nicotine has been removed from Next or that the amount of nicotine is small enough to be safe and non-addictive. From the recent New England Journal of Medicine article finding that there is no dose response relationship between nicotine and tar levels and heart disease, it is safe to assume that Next will cause heart disease like every other conventional cigarette. Both Fxcel and Chelsea lead the consumer to believe that less visible or perfumed sidestream smoke reduces the danger of the product. , Write to the Division of Advertising Practices Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580 Send a carbon copy of your complaint to the new Federal Trade Commission Chairman, Janet Steiger, who has expressed support for using case-by-case applications of the Commission's jurisdiction over advertising deemed to be unfair. Urge her to become active on the tobacco issue. Send a carbon copy to your elected representatives as well. 2. Write an op-ed or letter to the Editor describing the dangers of these new tobacco products and the accompanying marketing strategies. Emphasize the need for regulation of tobacco products. Try to get health professionals and community leaders add to and sign on to your piece. TIMN 311768