Philip Morris Attempts to Distance Itself From Marlboro Man's Global Rampage With Name Change to Altria [01/27/2003] - Corporate Accountability International - Challenging Abuse, Protecting People - Think Outside the Bottle


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Philip Morris Attempts to Distance Itself From Marlboro Man's Global Rampage With Name Change to Altria
Corporate Accountability Activists Say Massive PR Make-Over Won't Fend Off Tough Regulation in Global Tobacco Treaty

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 27, 2003

CONTACTS:
Patti Lynn, 617-695-2525

Boston -- As negotiators from more than 150 countries prepare for the final round of talks on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Philip Morris is moving ahead with its corporate name change. Starting today, the world's largest and most profitable tobacco corporation will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the name Altria Group Inc. Announced more than a year ago, the tobacco giant's name change has been sharply criticized as a PR maneuver meant to distance the corporations image from its deadly business practices. According to the national corporate accountability organization Infact, which has been pressuring Philip Morris to stop promoting tobacco to youth and to stop interfering in public health policy since 1994, Philip Morris's name change is unlikely to succeed in polishing the corporations tarnished image.

"Philip Morris is banking on the short memory span of consumers and hoping that yet another massive PR campaign will win back a US public that has adamantly rejected its deadly business practices. Whatever name Philip Morris goes by, it will not be able to distance itself from the Marlboro Man's global rampage, which is driving an epidemic that claims nearly 5 million lives per year," says Infact Executive Director Kathryn Mulvey.

More than 150 countries have come together to negotiate the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first public health treaty which could include a total ban on tobacco advertising. Despite the tremendous economic and political clout of Philip Morris and other tobacco corporations, the great majority of countries are pushing for a strong treaty that prioritizes health over tobacco profits. The outcome of FCTC negotiations will have major implications for how Philip Morris carries out its business in countries across the globe.

In its attempts to position itself as a good corporate citizen, Philip Morris claims to support the FCTC. Behind the scenes however, the tobacco giant has worked at the global level to block, delay and weaken the treaty. Internal corporate documents clearly demonstrate that from the outset of the treaty process, Philip Morris has worked aggressively to undermine the efforts of the World Health Organization and nongovernmental organizations working for a strong and enforceable FCTC.

"Philip Morris's latest PR stunt will not fool the people on every continent who are currently challenging Big Tobacco's deceptive business practices. The tobacco giant would do better to reform its ways than change its name. One of the best steps Philip Morris could take to demonstrate that it has changed is to stop interfering in the development of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and other public health policies at the national, regional and local levels around the world," says Mulvey. Philip Morris has hired Leo Burnett, the ad agency that created the Marlboro Man, to roll out the new name. With the tagline "Where people and performance make a difference," Leo Burnett will try to create the impression that Philip Morris is a beacon of financial strength, good management, and social responsibility.

The Marlboro Man image, described by its creator as "the right image to capture the youth markets fancy," has made Marlboro the world's leading cigarette brand. A powerful image of independence and rebellion, the Marlboro cowboy is arguably the leading source of youth tobacco addiction in the US and globally.

The FCTC is scheduled to be adopted in May, and the US is one of a few wealthy countries trying to stall the FCTC's progress. The final round of negotiations on the treaty will take place in February in Geneva. The US is under increasing pressure to stop putting the profits of Philip Morris ahead of public health worldwide.

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Since 1977, Infact has been exposing life-threatening abuses of transnational corporations and organizing successful grassroots campaigns to hold corporations accountable to consumers and society at large. From the Nestlé Boycott of the 1970s and '80s to the GE Boycott of the 1980s and '90s to today's Boycott of Philip Morriss Kraft Foods, Infact organizes to win!