Shifting the burden from corporations to the public: the tobacco industry plays a shell game with corporate social responsibility and personal responsibility Presented by Lissy C. Friedman, JD, Senior Staff Attorney Public Health Advocacy Institute Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA 138th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting Denver, CO Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Presenter Disclosures Lissy Friedman, J.D. Senior Staff Attorney Public Health Advocacy Institute The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: No relationships to disclose. PHAI © 2010

Agenda Use of Corporate Social Responsibility and Personal Responsibility Rhetoric: “Youth Smoking Prevention” Campaigns Secondhand Smoke “Accommodation Strategy” Smoking Cessation Program & Smokeless Tobacco Additional Resources (Issue Briefs)

The Industry’s Image Problem “the tobacco industry is seen as the worst in fulfilling its responsibility to society,” and “[PM] is already seen as being among the least socially responsible . . . companies . . . in the United States.” -2001 PM Survey http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/kuf31c00 (emphasis added) 08/21/01 Whistleblowers, disclosure of internal documents, MSA, plaintiff victories in lawsuits have caused: Tobacco industry becoming a pariah. Smoking less socially acceptable. This threatens profits and the industry’s viability. PHAI © 2010

Improve Image Through Corporate Normalization “… CSR is becoming a mainstream tactic to improve a corporation’s image, but tobacco is not a mainstream industry. .” -2001 speech by Steve Parrish, PM Sr. VP of Corp. Affairs, describing the company’s goal of achieving “corporate normalcy,” http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/wmr82c00 (2001) PHAI © 2010

Tobacco Industry Denormalization Denormalization uses counter- marketing and intervention efforts to: remove the legitimacy and normality garnered by tobacco industry CSR efforts generate support for additional tobacco regulation and tobacco control interventions Image available at: http://www.thetruth.com/shards/ Doesn’t focus on making smoking less socially acceptable. Focuses lens on corporate behavior -American Legacy Foundation truth ® counter-marketing campaign. Available at http://www.thetruth.com/shards/. PHAI © 2010

Personal Responsibility: A Winner for Big Tobacco The industry uses buzz words and phrases like: “personal responsibility” “free and informed choice” “individual choice” Ignores relentless and pervasive marketing by tobacco industry. Ignores the fact that 80% of people start smoking when they are teenagers, when their cognitive functions and decision-making abilities are not fully formed. Ignores addictive nature of cigarettes. PHAI © 2010

Common YSP Themes Smoking is a legitimate choice which carries responsibility Use of overt and/or subliminal messages which glamorize smoking Bumper sticker available at http://rightdecisionsrightnow.com/parents/stickers.asp. Tobacco industry says that youth smoking stems from bad parenting and peer pressure. They used the YSP programs to address youth directly and study youth smoking behavior. PHAI © 2010

Focus on Youth Responsibility, Not Corporate Responsibility The teacher’s guide to the RJR’s “Right Decisions, Right Now” curriculum stated: “This study guide . . . focuses on responsibility – defining it and giving students a solid foundation on which to form their own attitudes and actions. Too often, young people associate the concept of responsibility with blame . . . .” RJR is trying to brainwash/create future customers who won’t sue the company for their smoking-related injuries later because they’ll believe that their condition is solely their own responsibility. – http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ghn20d00 (2000) PHAI © 2010

Subliminal Messages That Glamorize Smoking The book covers had the PM name printed on the inside. School officials denounced the book covers for using subliminal images and called them a “promotional endeavor.” Public health officials and tobacco control groups enlisted the aid of state AGs and other public officials. This put PM on the defensive, and resulted in the cancellation of the book cover program. PHAI © 2010

Secondhand Smoke Is Dangerous . . . for the tobacco companies. Declining Social Acceptability of Smoking = Decline in Sales Harm to non-smokers from SHS takes away traditional “freedom of choice” argument Fewer Smokers + Fewer Places to Smoke = Declining Profits Tobacco Institute lawyer John Rupp stated in 1986: “ETS [is the] Achilles heel of the industry.” PHAI © 2010

Can’t we all just get along? Big Tobacco’s “Accommodation Strategy:” Accommodation and courtesy can address SHS concerns No regulation is needed Smokers and non-smokers just need to communicate better The “Accommodation Strategy” shifts the burden of responsibility away from tobacco companies and onto others No need to make cigarettes less toxic PHAI © 2010

We wish you could quit us . . . PM’s “Societal Alignment” strategy includes a smoking cessation program called “QuitAssist.” PM hopes “QuitAssist” will help it seem like an enlightened and altruistic company, but continues to emphasize personal responsibility, not corporate responsibility. Photo and logo from http://www2.philipmorrisusa.com/en/quitassist/index_flash.asp, accessed on 6/21/10. The quote in the picture says “I quit smoking because I really put my mind to quitting.” Again, emphasis on personal responsibility, not corporate responsibility. PHAI © 2010

Can’t Quit? Go Smokeless! THE STRATEGY: Acquire smokeless tobacco companies Put smokeless tobacco on a “continuum of risk” Promote smokeless as an alternative to quitting Promote “dual use consumption” of smokeless tobacco and cigarettes PHAI © 2010

Conclusion Tobacco companies continue to use CSR and personal responsibility rhetoric and tactics to try to normalize their image and shift blame away from themselves. Tobacco control and public health advocates must push back against this and denormalize the tobacco industry’s image through counter-marketing and activism. PHAI © 2010

Additional Resources Visit www.phaionline.org/responsibility for information on how to access detailed issue briefs on the following topics: The tobacco industry’s use of corporate social responsibility rhetoric & tactics Denormalization of tobacco industry corporate social responsibility initiatives Tobacco industry “youth smoking prevention” programs Secondhand smoke “accommodation strategy” Industry smoking cessation programs READ LINK PHAI © 2010

For further information, contact: Lissy C. Friedman Senior Staff Attorney Public Health Advocacy Institute 102 The Fenway, Suite 117 Boston, MA 02115 (617) 373-3514 lissyfriedman@phaionline.org To access Issue Briefs visit www.phaionline.org/responsibility PHAI © 2010