Invitation to Roland-Garros: Philip Morris tries to seduce journalists

June 6, 2024

Par: National Committee Against Smoking

Dernière mise à jour: June 6, 2024

Temps de lecture: 4 minutes

Invitation à Roland-Garros : Philip Morris essaye de séduire les journalistes

A Politico article reveals that the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris is organizing a major communication campaign with more than sixty journalists, as part of the tennis tournament at Roland-Garros. The objective: to improve its public image, and impose its arguments in the public debate on tobacco regulation.

More than a thousand euros for an invitation to Roland-Garros

The newspaper indicates that around sixty journalists from the national and specialized press are invited by the tobacco company to attend the Roland-Garros matches. In addition to the tournament itself, the manufacturer is planning several gourmet lunches prepared by Potel and Chabot. These “hospitality offers”, estimated at more than a thousand euros per invitation by Politico, will be an opportunity for the manufacturer to develop its key themes with journalists: illicit trade, taxation and social responsibility. During the women's semi-finals, the multinational also plans to raise the issue of media treatment of tobacco, while the CEO of Philip Morris France will chair the lunch on Saturday June 8, the day of the men's semi-final. According to Politico, the Philip Morris press agency argued that this communication operation did not give rise to a request for articles. However, a communication operation of such magnitude, a fortiori aimed at journalists, has the primary purpose of maintaining privileged relations with the press and obtaining favorable media treatment, and indirectly, influencing public debate.

Parallel markets, taxation: a busy agenda for the tobacco company

This invitation by the cigarette manufacturer comes at a crucial moment for the cigarette manufacturer and the tobacco industry as a whole. Indeed, a few days earlier, a parliamentary assessment mission delivered its conclusions on behavioral taxation in the health sector (tobacco, alcohol, sugary or sweetened drinks), calling on public authorities to reestablish a fiscal trajectory, with the recommendation of introducing a pack of cigarettes at 25 euros by 2040, or even strict alignment of the taxation of heating tobacco on that of manufactured cigarettes. These proposals are a serious cause for concern for the tobacco company, especially since the report puts into perspective the importance of parallel markets, and the role of tax increases in their evolution, i.e. the usual narrative of the tobacco industry. Furthermore, the invitation comes a few weeks before the probable study published by KPMG on illicit trade, entirely financed by Philip Morris for several years. The lack of reliability of this report, pointed out by a growing number of researchers, health stakeholders and public stakeholders, could explain the manufacturer's desire to strengthen its communication strategy with journalists this year.

Roland-Garros and the tobacco industry: a recurring public relations operation

This is not the first time that the tobacco industry has relied on the Roland-Garros tournament to deploy a public relations strategy. In 2000, the National Committee against Smoking launched proceedings against Philip Morris: the investigation revealed the existence of a contract concluded for three years between the tobacco company and Roland Garros, providing in particular for promotional operations. The manufacturer had been convicted at first instance and on appeal, and had not filed an appeal.

Later, in 2013, the CNCT had noted the existence of communication operations during the tournament by three tobacco manufacturers: Philip Morris, Davidoff, and British American Tobacco. Estimated at more than a million euros, these contracts notably provided for the invitation to administrative, elected, or ministerial officials in boxes. Considering such a campaign as a propaganda operation in favor of tobacco, the CNCT sued the three manufacturers. If the Paris Court of Appeal had condemned the three manufacturers in 2016 for propaganda in favor of tobacco, this decision was overturned by the Court of Cassation a year later. However, following this operation, the law was amended to strengthen the regulatory framework, with a strict ban on advertising, sponsorship and patronage actions.

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