Philip Morris’s Project Sunrise:Weakening tobacco control by

working with it

Ruth E. Malone, RN, PhDPatricia McDaniel, PhDElizabeth A. Smith, PhD

University of California, San FranciscoDepartment of Social & Behavioral Sciences

Funding: NCI CA095989, American Legacy Foundation Fellowship,

CA Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program 13KT-0081

1990s: U.S. tobacco industry faced challenges

• FDA attempts to regulate cigarettes/nicotine

• Multiple state lawsuits• Smokefree laws • Tobacco control activism• Critical media coverage

If status quo were maintained…

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But…with a “proactive agenda”…

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“Fair Play” included:

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Research—important because…

“Antis activities are… a principal reason for…negative sentiment against the tobacco industry.

Anything we can do to research and counteract their activities is at the same level as our research on ETS or nicotine (albeit not as high profile…”

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Relationships—important because…

Exacerbating conflicts

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Weaken credibility

• “Publicize financial motives of Voluntary Health Organizations: How do these organizations raise funds and what do they do with them?...

• “Work with other social stakeholders to question priorities of foundations involved in tobacco advocacy—e.g. raise questions about why RWJ foundation support is not going to other causes.”

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Diminish funding

• “Establish a coalition of watchdog groups, conservative media and non-traditional allies to publicize evidence of abuses of federal and state statutes…

• Divert funds to either “benign” tobacco-related programs, or to programs that affect other social policy stakeholders…An example might be to divert ASSIST or IMPACT funding into programs designed to enforce tobacco minimum age laws.”

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Evidence of implementation• Research:

Created “Common Ground” database on tobacco control organizations:

biographical informationfunding sourcespolitical contributionsadvertisingmeetingsbudgetspolicy priorities/planscommunications

Evidence of implementation

• Relationships:– Attempted “dialogue” with AHA, ACS, ALA re:

youth smoking, access– Attempted dialogue with RWJ; rebuffed– National 4-H youth smoking initiative (1998)– Overtures to TC leaders re: harm/risk reduction– Corporate philanthropy

Evidence of implementation

• Diminish funding:– May have urged IRS to investigate AHA,

ALA political activity– National Smokers’ Alliance sued Roswell

Park Cancer Institute– PM report on ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ in

California TC expenditures– Attacking ASSIST– Marked ↓ in TC funding

Evidence of implementation

• Weaken credibility:– Message testing– Use of third-party allies, e.g. taxpayer,

smokers’ rights, pro-choice/tolerance groups accuse TC groups of “extremism”

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Improved attitudes toward PM

• 1993: PM’s opinion research showed:Highly negative view of company

• 2000: 39% view favorably18-34 age group rating grew by 26 percentage points

• December 2000: More young adults view PM favorably (45%) than unfavorably (34%)

Conclusions

• PM’s makeover is not just PR: It is calculated to undermine the tobacco control movement by creating conflict and thwarting industry delegitimization as a TC strategy

• “Partnerships” with TC may serve PM’s aims of disempowering TC movement and enhancing its own social acceptability

“One last point…

• “This is a long-term project….It will take a series of interdependent actions, plans and initiatives. A reweaving of the fabric of social acceptability.”

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