Daily Doc: TI, Apr 16, 1982: The Development of Tobacco Industry Strategy
Daily Doc: The Development of Tobacco Industry Strategy
Title: The Development of Tobacco Industry Strategy
TI, Apr 16, 1982
Bates #: 03673753/3762
June 21, 2000
By the early 1980s, the tobacco industry's political support and public credibility were dropping like a wad of spit tobacco from a Formula One grandstand. But as we all know, the tobacco industry's cache' is turning major disasters into golden opportunities. How do they do it? Public relations, as always, is the answer.
Among other things, this document shows
1) That the tobacco companies joined together to employ a unified strategy in facing its multiple challenges, 2) That they considered public health efforts to be a threat to their products, and felt such a threat needed to be counteracted as though a mere political game, 3) That their "solution" was implementing "good guy" public relations programs, including "youth programs."
Far from implementing socially-conscious programs for altruistic reasons, the tobacco industry says quite plainly:
The potential positive outcomes of [the tobacco industry] adopting [socially-conscious] programs of this nature may be:(italicized emphasis added).
- increased goodwill and reputation of the tobacco industry...
- the ability to affect the problem areas that most concern the tobacco industry and simultaneously obtain tax benefits
- a more sophisticated understanding by government of the needs/behaviors of industry. For example, a program to discourage teens from smoking...might prevent or delay further regulation of the tobacco industry. A fire safety program which emphasizes all potential fire hazards would demonstrate the industry's concern for public safety.
CITATION
Type of Document: Report
Author: N/A Tobacco Institute
Recipient: N/A
Date: 19820416/R
Site: Lorillard document site http://www.lorillarddocs.com/
Page Count 10
Bates No. 03673753/3762
URL: http://www.lorillarddocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=03673753/3762
Litigation Usage: Minnesota selected document Found Using Search Criteria: "strategy"
QUOTES
These materials are basic, first draft elements of what we hope will become a unified Tobacco Institute Strategy.
We suggest there is now a fairly urgent need to (a) agree on an over-all strategy; (b) approve certain concepts as its components, and (c) then move ahead and work out the components in detail so that they are tightly planned, concrete sub-programs to a strategy.
The need exists -- and is really urgent -- because
1. Multiple challenges are arising in different categories: health, taxes, ingredients, labeling, advertising, product specification, stabilization, and import-export are examples. As new issues are added, the earlier layers do not recede or go away; they continue to grow.
2. Organized adversaries are united for the first time. They are implementing a multi-issue strategy on several fronts simultaneously.
3. Firmly committed supporters are diminishing in the federal and state legislative bodies...
4. A positive program is required as a counterpart and to balance our defensive lobbying efforts. It is no longer adequate simply to oppose something.
5. The playing field is being defined and drawn too often by our adversaries. A basic lesson of politics is to develop your own playing field and avoid as much as possible playing on the opposition's playing field.
6. New purposes for the TI now arise with increasing frequency. Originally, the TI had one paramount purpose, the federal health controversy. But it now must serve several purposes simultaneously....
...B. Elements of Positive Strategy: New Initiatives for Industry Action
The entire tobacco industry is subject to negative press, adverse legislation and criticism from the public-at-large. To counteract this negative image and to demonstrate to the public that we are a responsible industry and are capable of looking beyond our own interests, we have developed an outline of several public service programs for industry consideration....
The Tobacco Institute is proposing the expansion of the tobacco industry's involvement in public service and social affairs. Our objectives for public involvement are:
1. To receive broad recognition for responsible public service, i.e. to offset the notion that we place profitability above public welfare.
2. To be viewed as constructively addressing tobacco-related issues of public concern. . .
The tobacco industry should....[embark] on a program of social involvement as an industry.
The potential positive outcomes of [the tobacco industry] adopting [socially-conscious] programs of this nature may be:
- increased goodwill and reputation of the tobacco industry...
- the ability to affect the problem areas that most concern the tobacco industry and simultaneously obtain tax benefits
- a more sophisticated understanding by government of the needs/behaviors of industry. For example, a program to discourage teens from smoking (an adult decision) might prevent or delay further regulation of the tobacco industry. A fire safety program which emphasizes all potential fire hazards would demonstrate the industry's concern for public safety.
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Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-2120
afoxland@gj.net
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