Philip Morris's publicity stunt: Cigarette sales end in the UK

In an interview with British media outlet The Telegraph, Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International (PMI), promotes new tobacco products and calls on the British government to eventually ban the sale of smoked tobacco.

According to Jacek Olczak, new tobacco products, primarily grilled/heated tobacco, are less harmful to health than smoked tobacco, and such a government ban would help overcome the belief of some smokers that alternatives to smoked tobacco are "worse than cigarettes."

Position yourself as a responsible and committed healthcare player

This position is yet another public relations strategy by PMI to ensure continued tobacco sales while whitewashing its image behind a dual mission: (1) to promote a pseudo-reduction in the risks that the consumption of grilled/heated tobacco would bring, and (2) to rid the world of tobacco smoke (“Unsmoke the world”).

However, according to the WHO, no independent scientific research supports the existence of a risk reduction from the consumption of grilled/heated tobacco compared to smoked tobacco.[1]In fact, PMI is seeking to consolidate its current lead in the sale of grilled/heated tobacco at the expense of its competitors.

Continuing this strategy of moral whitewashing, PMI plans to become a "health, care, and wellness company" as soon as half of its revenue comes from the sale of new nicotine and tobacco products. To this end, in July, PMI acquired Fertin Pharma.[2], a Danish producer of nicotine-based chewing gum and Vectura Laboratory[3], a British specialist in inhalants for the treatment of asthma and COPD.

Through this strategy, PMI aims to present itself as the solution to the health, environmental, and economic problems associated with tobacco consumption, while the tobacco industry is the direct cause of these problems. In the eyes of the public and politicians, the aim is to appear as a responsible, legitimate, and essential player in implementing new regulations, particularly those concerning new tobacco products.

Benefit from wide media coverage and make yourself known to the general public

This statement received significant publicity in the British and international press, providing indirect promotion for these new products while concealing their health risks. This communication strategy allows PMI to promote its products while circumventing the WHO Framework Convention for the Fight Against Tobacco, which formally prohibits any form of direct or indirect advertising in favor of tobacco products.

Similarly, the French media regularly gives a voice to the president of Philip Morris France, Jeanne Pollès, who thus ensures the promotion of its products and this new image that PMI wants to give itself. Thus in 2020, Jeanne Pollès was offered a platform in a French daily newspaper[4] in which she declares " Can a tobacco company also claim to improve the world as it is, and not as we would like it to be, without risky behaviors? That is the choice we have made! while discrediting and disqualifying the expertise and legitimacy of public health actors. PM France's objective remains the same: to appear as a responsible, legitimate, and essential player in the implementation of new regulations, particularly those concerning new tobacco products.

Keywords: Philip Morris International, Jacek Olczak, heated tobacco, new products, nicotine, marketing ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Ilies BD, Moosakutty SP, Kharbatia NM, et al Identification of volatile constituents released from IQOS heat-not-burn tobacco HeatSticks using a direct sampling method Tobacco Control Published Online First: 26 May 2020. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055521 https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/early/2020/06/08/tobaccocontrol-2019-055521.full.pdf [2] Tobacco Free Generation, Philip Morris acquires nicotine replacement specialist Fertin Pharma, July 5, 2021, accessed August 2, 2021 [3] Tobacco Free Generation, Tobacco Industry Maneuvers in Cannabis and Pharmaceutical Markets, July 26, 2021, accessed August 2, 2021 [4] Tobacco Free Generation, When PMI gets a platform in a French daily, July 9, 2020, accessed August 2, 2021 National Committee Against Smoking |