Tobacco Documents Online

Summarizes information on women and smoking, aimed at assisting Lorillard in entering women's cigarette market.

Transmits draft of "industry's new programs designed to reaffirm its commitment that young people should not use cigarettes" including promotional activities and announcement timetable. Notes new booklet, "currently under review by counsel", is part of "the expanded 'Responsible Living' program" and will be promoted like earlier 'Helping Youth Decide' and 'Helping Youth Say No' materials" (attachments missing).

Lists, defines, and amends industry "Code of Sampling Practices" with respect to marketing and sampling regarding youth, including headings: "1. Cigarette product sampling; 2. Premiums; 3. Billboards; [and] 4. Paid movie placements" (Attorney's Work Product - Privileged and Confidential; (identical to Bates 17738).

Reports ratification of Communications Committee Report by Tobacco Industry Executive Committee (TIEC) and discusses plans in three subjects headings: "I. Taxation; II. Smoking in the Workplace and Environmental Smoke; [and] III. Youth Program". Notes section I. entails "'battle plan' similar to the National Tobacco Education Council book and the various individual state taxation plans" and assigns responsibility for federal and state components of report. Notes section II. should contain credible case history research on decisionmaking processes in organizations and assess whether industry "should be willing to compromise or accommodate". Notes section III. should follow approach of "Responsible Living" document. Concludes final drafts require approval of counsel before submission to TIEC.

Outlines Philip Morris' plan to use the Virginia Slims Opinion Poll as a public relations tool to foster brand recognition and positive media coverage. Describes how the results of the 1995 poll will be released with fanfare, including employing a celebrity spokeswoman, a press conference, and a dozen-city media tour. Provides examples of a few questionnaire items, bullets of key findings, and lists components of the press kit that will report the complete findings from the 1995 Virginia Slims Opinion Poll.

Presents folder labeled Hispanic Drive.

Provides driving directions and a map to JML Interviewing Services in Miami. Also lists three local hotels.

Announces focus group research conducted with Hispanic men and women of Cuban origin in Florida to assess three proposed Benson & Hedges advertising strategies.

Provides a topline summary of impressions coming out of research held among Cuban Hispanics in Miami. Reinforces the need to communicate a simple message and provide a direct reinforcement of B&H's premium heritage. Contains a chart of reactions to different campaigns.

Recaps discussions and agreements from a B&H Hispanic creative presentation. Mentions three campaigns.

In this confidential, internal 1966 Philip Morris (PM) report, PM market researcher Myron Johnston, Jr. analyzes the feasibility of introducing a"health cigarette." The report shows that PM viewed medical reports linking cigarette smoking and disease as simply another driver for the cigarette market.

Ignoring the physical devastation their product causes hundreds of thousands of Americans, Johnston coldly observed that the American Cancer Society's conclusion that cigarettes cause disease in women as well as men could result in the generation of a whole new market for a "health cigarette":

"[Young women's] willingness to accept health filters may increase now that the American Cancer Society purports to have found a relationship between smoking and health for women as well as men. This group could provide a market for a health cigarette..."

and

"Women, and particularly young women, would constitute the greatest potential market for a health cigarette."

He suggests the strategy of marketing a "health cigarette" (or one with the illusion of being healthier) only when pressed to do so by authorities:

"My recommendation is that we not introduce a new health cigarette unless there is another health scare or additional restrictive legislation is passed. In the event of another health scare...our entry should be determined by the form of the scare..."

Johnston also touches on the addictive properties of nicotine as he observes:

"A cigarette that does not delivery nicotine cannot satisfy the habituated smker and cannot lead to habituation, and would therefore almost certainly fail.

He discusses the dynamics of smoking initiation among young people, saying,

"...Tobacco flavor is absent or far down the lists of reasons given for beginning to smoke, so it should be theoretically possible for a health cigarette to satisfy the most common reasons (to be like friends, to feel or look older, to combat nervousness, to be rebellious). This is apparently not the case. Young smokers are the ones...least likely to smoke health cigarettes..."

There is no mention in the report of empathy or concern for the fact that their products cause painful illness and early death among consumers, although Johnston states (on page 1000338652) that "Most smokers would rather quit than switch." The concern is clearly only to determine ways to market more cigarettes.

Quotes: "Women, and particularly young women, would constitute the greatest potential market for a health cigarette."

"Advertising should be directed to both sexes but in such a way as to have the greater appeal to women."

This document, while marked "confidential," was produced outside the industry. It is a fascinating chronology of the history of cigarette advertising by Dr. Richard Pollay, a professor of marketing. It gives an insight into the industry's invasive advertising tactics that can only be had by taking a historical look at the industry's advertising behavior. I will quote only a small part of this document here (it's 30 pages long), citing in particularly some advertising tactics aimed at women, but be assured the entire document is well worth a read. If you access it at Tobacco Documents Online (TDO) http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/, you will be able to magnify and view all 30 pages at one time, making reading it much easier than on the industry web site. Title: CHRONOLOGICAL NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF CIGARETTE ADVERTISING Type of Document: Report Author: Pollay, RM Recipient: N/A Date: 19870800 Site: Philip Morris Document Site http://www.pmdocs.com/ Bates No. 2024985261-5290 Page Count: 30 URL: http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=2492582&GetListArrayIdx=1&ShowImages=yes Litigation Usage: N/A

Presents summary findings of the 1990 Virginia Slims Opinion Poll, the sixth in a series of national surveys analyzing women's attitudes and opinions (past polls: 1970, 1972, 1974, 1980, and 1985). Conducted by the Roper Organization Inc., surveys a national cross-section of 3,000 women and 1,000 men regarding attitudes toward women's changing status in society, careers, marriage and family. Provides original survey, as well as press releases arround groups of potentially interesting findings.

Industry ad featuring picture of group of young people and information about industry's efforts to curb tobacco use among youth.

Presents Philip Morris public stance on youth smoking. Promotes Action Against Access program.

B+W close-up snapshot of ad depicting three young people holding sports equipment. Order form. From The Challenger, October 2, 1991, p. 11.

Catalogs internal industry studies, internal reports, draft and approved publications, memoranda, etc. from 1956-1982 related to "Human Smoking Behavior" in table form, sorted by date and including columns for "Document ID" (unique industry numerical identifiers); "Date; 'C' [significance of abbreviation is unknown]; Areas ("Compensation; Electrophysiological, Motivation/Quitting; General; Benefits/Smoker psychology; [and] Simulation"); [and] Conclusion/Comments". Includes cross-references to other related industry documents (see "Document Quotes" field for selected excerpts from this extensive "Hot Document").

Critiques 1990 Journal of Clinical Epidemiology article by Weinkam and Sterling entitled "Age Related Changes in Age of Starting to Smoke." Challenges current "common beliefs" that "1) There is an increase in individuals in the younger age cohorts (early teens or younger) who take up smoking. 2. The shift of smoking to earlier ages is especially prominent among young women. 3. The prevalence of smoking among women has actually increased." Alleges the first two propositions are the result of calculation errors attributable to different methods used by researchers in computing age classifications. Asserts that third proposition is untrue based on the possibility that the converse, i.e. "fewer older females take up smoking" is the reality and that the "available data show" these propositions to be false. Claims the Weinkam and Sterling paper is an example of "the most clear cut demonstration yet on how exaggerated and erroneous conclusions are made about smoking by sources of great authority and influence in matters of public health."

Summarizes studies included in Reports on Recent ETS and IAQ Developments: Lung Cancer; Cardiovascular Issues; Respiratory Diseases and Conditions - Adults; Respiratory Diseases and Conditions - Children; Other Cancer; Other Health Issues; ETS Exposure and Monitoring; Indoor Air Quality; Smoking Policies and Related Issues; Statistics and Risk Assessment; Index.

Provides comments of R.J. Reynolds tobacco company in response to the EPA's draft document entitled, "Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Assessment of Lung Cancer in Adults and Respiratory Disorders in Children." Argues, the "EPA has misused the process of risk analysis by preparing the Health Assessment for the apparent purpose of furthering an antismoking agenda--not for scientifically evaluating ETS and health." Includes bibliography.

Suggests important predisposing factors to smoking initiation including: parental and sibling smoking, peer pressure, status and self-esteem needs, and that most smokers begin smoking between ages 10-18. Defines a type of non-smoker who is surrounded by the smoking environment, yet takes a militant anti-smoking stance. Explains motivations for smoking, which do not usually include taste.

Lists Spanish-language magazines that carry Benson & Hedges, Marlboro, and Winston advertisements for December 1985. Includes information on the number of advertisements and total cost.

Lists Spanish-language magazines that carry Benson & Hedges, Marlboro, Players, Salem, Camel, and Winston advertisements for October 1984. Includes information on the number of advertisements and total cost.

Presents Philip Morris' summary report on the state of the tobacco industry as a whole and, in more detail, it's own cigarette brands. Provides a picture of the tobacco industry and Philip Morris in 1991 and its expectations and strategies for the next five years, using data from 1991 and projections for 1996. Discusses issues and strategies in reference to specific brands like Virginia Slims. Includes Virginia Slims brand share data for various female age groups, and a plan to increase uptake among young adult females.

Presents a "creative presentation" of market research by Battistoni for Philip Morris. Concludes that young adults of the time were heavily influenced by the rock star Madonna, craved control over their lives and suffered from "dimmed financial hopes." Builds on these conclusions to state that this need for some sense of control over their world led young adults to create social action groups Greenpeace and Act Up. States in response that Philip Morris's advertising should "empower" young adults with "permission to smoke" and provides possible routes for doing so through marketing.