A Worldwide Tour of Outrageous PM & BAT behavior


Please find below a list of some of the most outrageous ways tobacco corporations are currently marketing and promoting their products, creating positive PR, and exercising political influence in your communities, states, and countries

U.S. groups seem to be most outraged at Philip Morris's current $100 million PR campaign to spread the word about the $60 million they've donated to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and assist battered women. Another common theme was BAT and Philip Morris's sponsorship of sports and cultural events around the world, liberal use of sweepstakes, and their free distribution of cigarettes to youth. FYI, INFACT's video "Making a Killing" has good footage of this marketing technique being used in Vietnam last year.

BANGLADESH - Debra Efroymson, Work for a Better Bangladesh (1/20/01) :
BAT sponsors rock concerts to promote its Benson & Hedges brand. They claim youth under 18 aren't allowed to attend, but the reality is that they do. BAT's advertising as a responsible company includes giving away proceeds from concerts to organizations such as the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society!!! It also briefly included a nursery program in which they gave away some trees, which was widely advertised in the papers.

BURUNDI - Nestor Bikorimana, Association Burundaise des Consommateurs (1/31/01):
Our local tobacco company produces a cigarette brand "YES" under the authority of POTAMAC TOBACCO COMPANY, based in Washington, DC, USA. On the packet, there is no health warning. I don't think they could do that in the U.S.

INDONESIA - Tjandra Y Aditama, Indonesia Smoking Control Foundation (1/6/01):
The local "kretek" cigarette is very popular. Philip Morris's Marlboro brand is next. They have a broad marketing strategy that includes TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, billboard, sports event sponsorship etc -- even presence at wedding ceremonies and other village parties

JORDAN - Muna Hamzeh, Ministry of Health (1/18/01):
The other day we were in a restaurant and some girls came in dressed up in red and started giving away free cigarettes for non-smokers, 10 packs each! When I talked to her I found out that that they are from Marlboro, so now Philip Morris has entered Jordan strongly. I hear that these girls are found in amost every good restaurant in Jordan.

KENYA - Fred Odhiambo, Centre for Tobacco-Free Education and Development (1/11/01)
Tobacco companies sponsor local artisans to create a positive image that they are helping low-income earners and disadvantaged people. Until December 2000, BAT sponsored the Kenya Football Federation Premier League. Football is popular here. Stadiums were littered with all brands of cigarettes. Parliament brand donated balls, uniforms, shoes and over $600 to a football club.

- George Banja, Consumer Watch (2/21/01):
Tobacco corporations promote their products is through annual sponsorship of cultural festivals of different communities. Such events are used to promote different brands and also introduce the youth and adults to tobacco. One major PR score is occasional
attendance by the president. BAT uses their sportsman brand to induce prospective sports people to smoking. All adverts of sportsman are associated with very successful sports people in the country. ASPEN brand manufacturers use music to promote cigarette. The Kenya, they use blondes who are good dancers to lure the youth into smoking. They move from - Estate to Estate in a truck with the blondes gyrating while puffing!!

PAKISTAN - Dr. Tariq Parvez, Pakistan Society for Cancer Prevention (1/6/01):
Besides huge billboards on all the main roads and sponsorship of decorative boards on shops, companies distribute free cigarette samples to adults and minors in the shopping plazas and on different occasions. They also maintain good personal relations with government departments and political families. They like to ensnare anti-tobacco advocates in lame legal and non-legal issues to take their concentration away from important tobacco control efforts

- Dr. Javaid A Khan, The Aga Khan University Hospital (2/16/01):
In the past few weeks we have noticed unprecedented tobacco advertising in the TV and Print Media. Tobacco Companies are now using religion in order to promote their products. In today’s newspaper there is a advertisement in which tobacco companies is offering free air ticket to perform religious ceremony called UMRAH for Makkah and Madina (Saudi Arabia). Last night on all the Three channels of Pakistan TV a program was shown called Music millennium in which the stage was full of glamorous cigarette advertisements and TOP POP Singers of Pakistan performed. Majority of the people who watched this program were teenagers and Tobacco Companies claim that they do not target the teenagers.
(2/27/01) The tobacco companies have now started "the youth education campaign" through which they are trying to propagate that, smoking is meant for adults only. And tobacco companies are tempting the youngsters by offering handsome loans for setting up a new business. Pakistan TV shows hundreds of colorful, attractive tobacco advertisements every day.

ROMANIA - Florin Mihaltan, Romanian Society for Pneumology (1/5/01):
Both Philip Morris and BAT support a youth program called "It's Your Choice." They have involved the Ministry of Health, Education, and Sports. There is legislation banning cigarette sales to youth under 18 years, but nobody respects it.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Colin Richardson, Adventist Health Department (1/5/01):
On New Years eve, BAT "sponsored" a New Years Eve Rave on national television in this country which lasted from about 7pm to 8am next day, all night, with their "Gold & Tunes" program (sponsored by their brand Benson & Hedges) promoting hits, music artists, glamour and glitz. Liberally sprinkled through the program is the musical ad, technically for the Gold & Tunes program, using the "&" symbol everywhere as they usually do, as though it were a trademark. "Feel & enjoy" comes just before "Benson & Hedges" quick change to "Gold & Tones".

URUGUAY - Eduardo Bianco, Sindicato Medico del Uruguay (1/31/01):
Tobacco companies use media: TV, newspapers, magazines, radio, and also billboards, promotion of cultural and sports events. The Marlboro man has become popular in Uruguay in the last 5 years. They also distribute free cigarettes on the street or at events. Associations with pleasure, sex, fitness, adventure, sport, friends, glamour, are commonly used. The Uruguayan national sport is soccer. In every match, tobacco publicity or promotion is all over. Perhaps the most outrageous way that they promote tobacco products is in cinema during the showing of children's films.

USA - ID - Christine Kuck, Taking ACTION (1/8/01):
Every time our club Taking ACTION (Active Control of Tobacco In Our Neighborhoods) has a planned event, a couple boxes of textbook covers arrive at our school. Most say something positive. Some even said, "Think, Don't Smoke." They are eye catching & nicer than other book covers that students use. But, in very tiny print, they say Philip Morris at the bottom. We threw them away because we think it is hypocritical.

NM
- Francisco Soto Mas, New Mexico Department of Health (1/8/01):
New U.S. President Bush has stacked his cabinet with people who have close ties to the tobacco industry. For example, the new U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, accepted more than $70,000 in political donations from Philip Morris. Don't count Secretary Thompson to be blowing the horn for international tobacco control any time soon. Between 12/95 and 6/97 he made a dozen calls to Philip Morris's Andrew Whist. Wrote Thompson to Whist in a 12/26/95 letter: "I value your loyalty and friendship and look forward to sharing many more great meals and exchanging many more unbelievable stories with you in the future...I eagerly anticipate our next adventure together -- maybe it will be to Australia." (the trip occurred less than six months later). Want to know what Whist thinks about international tobacco control advocates? We're a "world-wide problem." This international tobacco lobbying memo sent by Whist to Philip Morris's board of directors is a highly enlightening MUST READ! Find out what Philip Morris was doing in your country/region in the mid 1980's: http://www.pmdocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=2025431401/1406

OK - Barbara Patterson, Northwest Oklahoma Tobacco Free Coalition (1/5/01):
This past year our State Senator accepted $1000 on behalf of Philip Morris and donated the money to our local Child Advocacy House, a place where foster families and victims of domestic abuse receive counseling and other help. Naturally, there was a large picture of the Senator giving the money from Philip Morris to the Child Advocacy House Board of Directors. Philip Morris has been running television ads about how they are helping victims of abuse. What a nice company!

OR - Bill Smith, Tualitin Valley Centers (1/9/01):
Philip Morris is spending many millions to paint itself an image as a savior of people in need -- ads on TV that show the manager of a teen homeless shelter being saved from going out of business by the tobacco company. Lots of art and music sponsorships as well. All the tobacco companies are trying some new things to attract 21-35 year old age group -- sponsoring special music and giveaways at popular bars and nightclubs. The young people can win trips and items of clothing, etc. The bars get free napkins, matches, and other things for the customers.

PA - Janet Northcott, Bucks County Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency, Inc. (1/9/01):
From what I have heard Philip Morris spends considerably more on advertising than the donation/funding of the programs but the public is unaware of this, they see a company stepping in to help where others wouldn't.

WA - Chris Covert-Bowlds, COMMIT for Tobacco Free Whatcom County (1/9/01):
Philip Morris's current "anti-youth smoking" magazine ads are designed, I believe, to increase youth smoking, and their internal documents show the only point of their youth program is to prevent truly effective tobacco control measures, as well as to generate sympathetic juries and legislators.

VIETNAM - Li Thi Thu, PATH Canada (1/31/01):
BAT supplies cafes with umbrellas, tables, chairs ashtrays, and cigarette letters, all emblazoned with the logo of their 555 brand. Philip Morris does the same with its Marlboro brand. The corporation also supplies a sticker to attach to the side of the tobacco trolley which says "NO SELLING to teenagers." The sticker seems to be utterly ineffective. Tobacco vendors sell cigarettes to children anyway.

- Do Gia Phan, VINASTAS (2/12/01):
Every morning and evening, in Hanoi streets, people can see nice girls in uniform of PM riding on motorbikes that are all similar with the baggage case in the rear bearing the logo of PM. What's in these cases? That are Marlboro packs of cigarettes and T-shirts with advertisement for PM and lighters all with PM logo, obviously. They go to restaurants in the heart of the city and in the suburb to market PM cigarettes, certainly they are paid by PM. Only the fact that these nice girls get together in crowd in the street creates deep impression in people.
The marketing girl enters a restaurant, approaches a young man, offers him a 555 cigarette and lights it for him. As a gallant young man, who can refuse the care of such a gracious woman? If she recognizes he has in his hand a cigarette of another brand, she will ask him to change the old or even a half empty pack that is not of PM for a new pack of PM. This is all free. If you buy a pack more, she will offer you a lighter or a T-shirt.

YUGOSLAVIA - Andjelka Dzeletovic, Institute of Public Health of Serbia (1/14/01):
The Winston brand has the largest number of commercials on newspaper stands (which are the most common place to purchase tobacco). There is often a two meter wide Winston logo of the American eagle in flight, which disturbs the beauty of Belgrade. Winston is also the head sponsor of the Yugoslav National Basketball League as Winston YUBA League... Advertisements for the Pall Mall brand go with existential questions such as: Do you wish for an apartment? Do you wish for a new car? BOSS brand is currently running a lottery. Contestants collect three empty packs and send them in the chance of winning a prize (a car, computers, mobile phones, travel)

For more details and examples, contact:
Anna White
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
Essential Action
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030
Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: [email protected]