Philip Morris promotes its new products in major media

According to a study by the Truth Initiative, manufacturer Philip Morris International (PMI) is investing millions of dollars in advertising in major US media, including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, to promote its heated tobacco device and try to position itself as a public health player, even though many publishers have implemented policies prohibiting sponsored content promoting tobacco.[1]-[2].

The study found that Philip Morris International (PMI) and Altria, the makers of Marlboro, spent $11.72 million between January 2020 and August 2021 on institutional advertising, primarily in national newspapers (print and digital) such as the Boston Globe, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal.

Content intended to promote the manufacturer's new tobacco products

According to Truth, PMI's sponsored content in the form of advertorials resembles newspaper editorials. The study's authors believe the manufacturer's approach is part of a plan to capitalize on the credibility of these media outlets and benefit from their distribution influence without readers realizing that these are paid advertisements. These advertisements highlight statements by company executives promoting their new products and positioning themselves as advocates for public health through what they present as healthier "alternatives" to traditional cigarettes.

For example, PMI's vice president of strategic and scientific communications placed an advertorial in the New York Times on the theme "Discover Science," and its CEO ran a similar ad promoting the company's inclusivity and innovation in the Wall Street Journal. Both ads praised the brand's heated tobacco devices.

The promotion of heated tobacco products like IQOS through advertorials is part of a broader strategy by the tobacco industry to whitewash its reputation, improve its public image, and position itself as a legitimate public health player by relying on the theme of "harm reduction," while continuing to sell all of these products, particularly traditional cigarettes.

Advertising bans circumvented

In the United States, tobacco advertising is regulated by restrictions, including the 1970 federal ban on cigarette advertisements on television and radio, later extended to smokeless tobacco advertisements. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement also established new bans on cigarette advertising, particularly targeting youth, as well as advertising on billboards and on public transportation. The agreement also ended event sponsorship. Media platforms such as newspapers are still permitted to carry tobacco advertisements, although many publishers have implemented their own policies prohibiting tobacco ads.

These restrictions are circumvented by tobacco companies that purchase advertising space for advocacy messages, which remain permitted.

Keywords: advertising, Philip Morris, media, sponsorship, United States, heated tobacco,

Photo credit: ©Truth Initiative

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] How the tobacco industry uses sponsored content in major media outlets to shift public perception, Truth Initiative, May 16, 2022, accessed May 18, 2022 [2] Koval R, Dorrler N, Schillo B Tobacco industry advertising: efforts to shift public perception of big tobacco with paid media in the USA Tobacco Control Published Online First: 16 May 2022. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057189 National Committee Against Smoking |