{"id":4074,"date":"2017-08-31T22:04:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T22:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4074"},"modified":"2017-08-31T22:04:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T22:04:12","slug":"reuters-india-investigation-philip-morris-definitely-targeting-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4074","title":{"rendered":"Reuters India investigation: Philip Morris definitely targeting young people"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Interesting read here for my Indian readers on how India is threatening<\/a> to crack down against Philip Morris International with some kind of “punitive action” for violating that country’s anti-tobacco laws prohibiting marketing cigarettes to minors.<\/p>\n

The Indian Healthy Ministry sent a warning letter to PMI after a Reuters investigation this summer dug up secret memos from the company about how to market cigarettes to young adults, including using conveniently located advertising kiosks and through promotional giveaways. Reuters is making a big deal out of this and has even set up a website where you can peruse reams of Philip Morris International internal documents.<\/p>\n

That investigation<\/a> also found that PMI has a deeply entrenched strategy of trying to undermine what’s known as the Framework for Tobacco Control, a multi-nation treaty to try and curb tobacco’s influence in the developing world. That’s a whole another imbroglio I need to look into.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From the Reuters investigation:<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

… Indian government officials say Philip Morris is using methods that flout the nation\u2019s tobacco-control regulations. These include tobacco shop displays as well as the free distribution of Marlboro \u2013 the world\u2019s best-selling cigarette brand \u2013 at nightclubs and bars frequented by young people.<\/p>\n

In internal documents, Philip Morris International is explicit about targeting the country\u2019s youth. A key goal is \u201cwinning the hearts and minds of LA-24,\u201d those between legal age, 18, and 24, according to one slide in a 2015 commercial review presentation.<\/p>\n

As with the point-of-sale ads at kiosks, public health officials say that giving away cigarettes is a violation of India\u2019s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and its accompanying rules.<\/p>\n

Philip Morris\u2019 marketing strategy for India, which relies heavily on kiosk advertising and social events, is laid out in hundreds of pages of internal documents reviewed by Reuters that cover the period from 2009 to 2016. In them, Philip Morris presents these promotions as key marketing activities. In recent years, they have helped to more than quadruple Marlboro\u2019s market share in India, where the company is battling to expand its reach in the face of an entrenched local giant.\u00a0Reuters is publishing a selection of those documents in a searchable repository,\u00a0The Philip Morris Files<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s goal is to make sure that \u201cevery adult Indian smoker should be able to buy Marlboro within walking distance,\u201d according to another 2015 strategy document.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

PMI has been told repeatedly to remove the outside advertising at these kiosks, but enforcement in India is weak. The giveaways take place at social events with women dressed colourfully in the brand colours of different kinds of Marlboros.<\/p>\n

Pretty sleazy huh? PMI is clearly looking for every tiny little loophole in the laws it can find, it appears.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

India is a HUGELY important market for Big Tobacco, because smoking rates in the West are in steep decline, while China strictly controls tobacco sales as a state enterprise. That leaves … ta da! … India with its 1.3 billion people as the biggest available new market in the world (along with the Philippines and Indonesia). Big Tobacco is literally drooling over these markets, and the Indian government has a big fight on their hands to keep PMI and other international companies at bay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interesting read here for my Indian readers on how India is threatening to crack down against Philip Morris International with some kind of “punitive action” for violating that country’s anti-tobacco laws prohibiting marketing cigarettes to minors. The Indian Healthy Ministry sent a warning letter to PMI after a Reuters investigation this summer dug up secret … Continue reading Reuters India investigation: Philip Morris definitely targeting young people<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[856,755,869,447],"tags":[135,756,870],"class_list":["post-4074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india","category-philip-morris-interntional","category-reuters","category-world-tobacco-use","tag-india","tag-philip-morris-international","tag-reuters"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/marlboro-kiosk.jpg?fit=876%2C696&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4hpEa-13I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4153,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4153","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":0},"title":"India’s Supreme Court backs warning labels on cigarettes","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"February 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a story for our readers from India. This is a big confusing. I had to read the story carefully three times to make sure I was understanding it correctly. The Supreme Court of India last week set aside a lower court that had quashed the nation's rule that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "cigarette advertising"","block_context":{"text":"cigarette advertising","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/intro_img2.jpg?fit=474%2C342&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4137,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4137","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":1},"title":"Philip Morris International getting out of the tobacco business? Huh, what now?","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"January 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Philip Morris International this week made the somewhat shocking announcement that it plans to abandon tobacco altogether as its \"New Year's Resolution\" and will focus on \"electronic alternatives,\" (Apparently, that means e-cigarettes). This pronouncement raised some serious eyebrows ... and skepticism. PMI (a separate entity from Altria, which owns tobacco\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Philip Morris Interntional"","block_context":{"text":"Philip Morris Interntional","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=755"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/47BC9EEA00000578-5233401-The_big_tobacco_company_laid_out_its_new_initiatives_in_full_pag-m-7_1515021579641.jpg?fit=632%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/47BC9EEA00000578-5233401-The_big_tobacco_company_laid_out_its_new_initiatives_in_full_pag-m-7_1515021579641.jpg?fit=632%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/47BC9EEA00000578-5233401-The_big_tobacco_company_laid_out_its_new_initiatives_in_full_pag-m-7_1515021579641.jpg?fit=632%2C791&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4386,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4386","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":2},"title":"Philip Morris might stop selling cigarettes in the UK?","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"August 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Philip Morris International made a seemingly startling claim the other day \u2013 that the company is looking to drop cigarettes altogether in the United Kingdom within 10 years. PMI is a spin-off of Altria, which was the umbrella corporation over the old Philip Morris company in the U.S. PMI runs\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iQOS-Advertising-Launch.jpg?fit=960%2C561&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iQOS-Advertising-Launch.jpg?fit=960%2C561&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iQOS-Advertising-Launch.jpg?fit=960%2C561&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iQOS-Advertising-Launch.jpg?fit=960%2C561&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4166,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4166","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":3},"title":"Philip Morris stock crashes","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"April 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Woot! This story made my heart warm. Philip Morris International (a company split off from Altria that focuses specifically on the tobacco market outside of the U.S.) stock dropped 18 percent on April 19, partly because sales of its iQos product -- a device that heats a tobacco plug without\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Philip Morris Interntional"","block_context":{"text":"Philip Morris Interntional","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=755"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1000x-1.png?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1000x-1.png?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1000x-1.png?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1000x-1.png?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3751,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3751","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":4},"title":"Philip Morris International earnings, revenue down … big time","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"February 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Great story! Philip Morris International's earnings and revenue are dropping, dropping faster than forecast by the company. Philip Morris is a spin-off from Altria, which handles Philip Morris' domestic production of cigarettes. According to several stories I came across, Philip Morris' \u00a0revenues dropped 11 percent at the end of 2015,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Philip Morris Interntional"","block_context":{"text":"Philip Morris Interntional","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=755"},"img":{"alt_text":"PMI","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/PMI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1141,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=1141","url_meta":{"origin":4074,"position":5},"title":"Philip Morris profits down 8 percent in second quarter 2013","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"July 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh, happy day. Philip Morris (Altria), the No. 1 private cigarette manufacturer in the world, saw its profits drop a dramatic 8 percent in the second quarter of 2013, mostly due to lagging sales. Philip Morris shares dropped 2.5 percent as a result. Here's what is interesting. We all know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Altria"","block_context":{"text":"Altria","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"philip morris","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/philip-morris.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}