USC Tobacco Industry Monitoring Project Collection
Comments of Samuel D. Chilcote, Jr. Executive Committee Meeting
Abstract
Lorillard document of Chilcote speech discussing the public smoking issue as a "weak" issue promulgated by nonexistent science. Describes how the Institute's four spokesman reach 40 million people. Discusses Institute public relations campaigns capable of "overshadowing Dr. Weis" (an anti-industry scientist) as an issues management strategy. Similarly, in the area of fire safety he notes we are moving quickly with fire safety programs to preempt the "self-extinguishing" cigarette battles in at least 13 states in 1987. Discusses consultant's study in Europe and concludes that "European Firefighters feel that 'self-extinguishing' cigarettes make no sense." Discusses grant to The Foundation for Fire Safety intended to fund research and describes TI request for another funding solicitation to deal with projects smoke detector projects. Describes grassroots lobbying efforts to combat fire safety issue. Concludes by discussing cursorily national issue management efforts on excise taxes and proposition movements.
Fields
- Target Market
- None
- Subject
- Fire Safe Cigarettes
Document Images
IN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEhS, WE WILL BE
BRINGING TOGETHER THE LOBBYISTS 1N THE 13
TARGET STATES FOR ADDITIONAL TRAINING...AND
ORIENTATION TO OUR NEW MATERIALS, WITNESSES
AND STRATEGIES.
PH
I
L SCHAENMAN...OUR CONSULTANT...HAS
RETURNED FROM EUROPE. THE DRAFT OF HIS STUDY
1LL BE 1SSUED PRIVATELY TO YOU IN THE NEXT
FEW WEEKS. IT CONCLUDES THAT EUROPEANS HAVE
LESS OF AN ACCIDENTAL FIRE PROBLEM THAN
DO AMERICANS. IT DEMONSTRATES.THAT EUROPEANS
BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION AND STRICT CODE
ENFORCEMENT ARE THE REASONS FOR THEIR LOW
FIRE RATES. AND IT SHOWS THAT EUROPEAN
FIREFIGHTERS FEEL THAT "SELF-EXTINGUISHING"
CIGARETTES MAKE NO SENSE.
WE HA1fE DRAFTED A PROMOTIONAL PLAN...
LLWHICH WILL BE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS
OMM I TTEE.'. . TO GET PH 1 L.ON TALK SHOWS AND
BEFORE LEGISLATIVE PANELS NATIONALLY, AS AN
INDEPENDENT EXPERT.
THE FOUNDATION FOR FIRE SAFETY HAS
RECEIVED OUR GRANT OF $50,000 AND THE PROJECTS~;
FOR WHICH THAT GRANT WAS INTENDED -- ARE
ALREADY UNDERWAY. AT OUR REQUEST, THE
FOUNDATION HAS BEEN ASKED TO SUBMIT ANOTHER
PROPOSAL... THIS ONE DEALING WITH SMOKE
DETECTORS.
IN YOUR REVIEW OF OUR ORIGINAL PROGRAM,
SEVERAL OF YOU EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN
PROMOTING GREATER USE OF SMOKE DETECTORS. WE
AGREE. SMOKE DETECTORS APPEAR TO BE A MAJOR
REASON FOR THE DOWNWARD TREND IN FIRES
ATTRIBUTED TO CARELESS SMOKING.
NEW YORK...PHOENIX..'.MILWAUKEE...
MINNEAPOLIS...BALTIMORE.
REFIGHTING INDUSTRY WE ARE MAKING INFORMAL
CONTACTS WITH THE TOP FIRE OFFICIALS OF A
DOZEN AMERICAN CITIES: BOSTON...DETROIT...
SAN FRANCISCO...CHICAGO...SEATTLE...PORTLAND...
WILL BE REVIEWED WITH YOU AS THEY COME IN.
THROUGH SOME OF-OUR NEW FRIENDS IN THE
A FEW AT A TIME...THESE CITIES WILL BE
ASKED TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR FUNDING OF
SPECIFIC FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND
WE HOPE TO BEGIN SEEING THESE PROPOSALS
IN_THE NEXT 60 DAYS.
:°
~ c 14
OUR CALENDAR PROPOSAL WAS PERHAPS THE
MOST CONTROVERSIAL OF EVERYTHING WE HAVE
ROPOSED IN THIS AREA. THE BIGGEST CONCERN
WAS THAT WE MIGHT BE ACCUSED OF APPEALING TO
CHILDREN. WE HAVE DECIDED TO OFFER IT TO THE
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION FOR USE
IN THEIR EXIST{NG...AND WELL RESPECTED PROGRAM.
IF THE NFPA LIKES THE CALENDAR APPROACH,
WE WILL OFFER TO HELP THEM DEVELOP IT FURTHER..
OR, IF THEY DESIRE, THEY CAN PROCEED ALONE
FROM THAT POINT.
ALL OF THESE PROGRAM ELEMENTS WILL BE
CLEARED THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES
AND COUNSEL. BUT WE DO PLAN TO MOVE
AGGRESSIVELY.
15
I CAN SAY...WITHOUT HESITATION...THAT
WE WILL BE VERY LUCKY TO GET THROUGH NEXT YEAR
I
THOUT A SELF-EXTINGUISHING BILL BEING
ADOPTED.
EVEN WITH OUR PROGRAM, WE CAN NOT
GUARANTEE A THING. BUT, SPEAKiNG FOR OUR
LOBBYISTS AND OUR FRIENDS IN STATE
LEGISLATURES AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, THESE
PROGRAMS WILL HELP CONSIDERABLY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
WE ARE ALSO USING ISSUE MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES IN PREPARING FOR NEXT-YEAR'S
LOCAL EXCISE TAX BATTLES...THERE WILL BE MANY.
16
AS WITH THE ACCIDENTAL FIRE SITUATION...
WE HAVE MET EXTENSIVELY WITH OUR LOBBYISTS
EA DIRECTORS TO GATHER INFORMATION,
ASSESS THE PROBLEM. AND TO DISCUSS THE
EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LOBBYING STRATEGIES.
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, THE STATE
ACTIVITIES POLICY COMMITTEE HAS ASKED STAFF
TO SEEK PROPOSALS FROM LOCAL PUBLIC RELATIONS1
ADVERTISING AGENCIES IN FOUR STATES...MICHIGAN
GEORGIA, MISSISSIPPI AND ARIZONA.
0
w =916
,
~
~
~
N
~
~
17
WE DO NOT KNOW IF LOCAL ADVERTISING
AND PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES WILL HELP...
OR HURT. BUT WE HAVE SELECTED THE FOUR
AGENCIES IN THOSE STATES ON -THEIR REPUTATIONS
AS EFFECTIVE POLITICAL ADVISORS. THEIR
PRELIMINARY FINDINGS...WHICH ARE BEING GATHERED
DISCREETLY...WiLL BE PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE
AT ITS MEETING NOVEMBER 19. IF THEIR
RECOMMENDATIONS MAKE SENSE, WE PLAN TO HAVE
.CREATIVE MATERIAL READY FOR USE WHEN... AND
.IF... IT IS NEEDED IN 1983... PERHAPS IN
THOSE STATES OR WHEREVER IT IS NEEDED.
AN EFFECTIVE ATTACK AGAINST EXCISES
LOCALLY...'WILL ALSO HELP US NAT.IONALLY AS WE
FACE THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ROUND OF
FEDERAL INCREASES NEXT YEAR.
x
C C
18
THE SAME COMMITTEE IS ALSO DEALING
WITH A FAR MORE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE...MEASURE
" A,t
WE HAVE THIS MORNING THE TELEVISION AND
IN KERN COUNTY; CALIFORNIA.
RADIO SPOTS WE'VE BEEN USING IN KERN COUNTY...
AND SOME RECENT RESEARCH ON VOTER PREFERENCE.
TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORIES...LET ME FIRST
GO OVER A'FEW BAS I C FACTS.
KERN COUNTY VOTED 60-40 AGAINST BOTH
PROPOSITIONS 5 AND 10 ... CLEARLY ONE OF OUR
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. IF IT PASSES WE CAN
EXPECT PUBLIC SMOKING RESTRICTIOKS IN THE
INCORPORATED SECTIONS OF KERN COUNTY.
STRONGEST SHOWINGSSTATEWIDE BOTH TIMES.
THIS VOTE IS ON AN "ADVISORY" TO THE COUNTY
19
OUR R_ESEARCH SHOWS THAT VOTERS THERE
THE LAST TWO CAMPAIGNS. THERE ARE FEW
ARE WELL INFORMED ON THE ISSUE AS A RESULT OF
UNDECIDED VOTERS.
i_WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO LOSE KERN
COUNTY...A MANDATE FOR PUBLIC SMOKING
RESTRICTIONS IN OUR STRONGHOLD WOULD ENCOURAGE
THE PROP.10 PEOPLE TO TRY AGAIN STATEWIDE.
LET ME
NOTE THAT THESE SPOTS HAVE RUN FROM OCTOBER
15 TO NOVEMBER 2.
JACK,.lNOULD YOU RUN THE SPOTS...
(RUN SPOTS)
GENTLEMEN...WE EXPECT TO WIN. IT MAY
NOT BE BY THE 20 POINT MARGIN WE ENJOYED THE
LAST TWO TIMES IN KERN COUNTY, BUT I AM
CONFIDENT.
C C 20
I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE STATE
ACTIVITIES POLICY COMMITTEE FOR THE QUALITY.
AND THE,QUANTITY....OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN
OUR_STATE ACTIVITIES FUNCTION.
MANY EXAMPLES OF THAT KIND OF
COMMITMENT WERE FOUND AT THE TWO MEETINGS WE'V
JUST HELD WITH OUR LOBBYISTS. I'VE ALREADY
MADE LIMITED MENTION OF THOSE MEETINGS...LET
ME BE MORE SPECIFIC.
BY DESIGN, WE HELD TWO -- ONE_FOR`OUR
,SOUTHERN AND WESTERN REGIONS AND THE OTHER
FOR OUR NORTHEASTERN AND MIDWESTERN REGIONS-.
SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS CAME OUT.
1. IT WAS URGED THAT WE PROCEED WITH
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN THOSE STATES WHERE
C'ORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ALLOWED. I AM
PLEASED TO NOTE THAT...W1TH YOUR KIND SUPPORT..
THIS HAS BEEN DONE AND WILL REMAIN A POTENTIAL
TOOL FOR THE FUTURE.
