Global tobacco executives and the strategies of tobacco multinationals: Some implications for policy

Background:

Over the past 8-9 years, tobacco companies have sought to re-position themselves, acknowledging that tobacco is harmful and addictive, taking a strong stand on youth smoking, and implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) frameworks designed to bridge the gap with concerned parents and the public health community. Tobacco companies are also adopting “adjacency strategies” – testing smokeless products and holding out the prospects of potentially reduced exposure products (PREPs) to increase customer choice and to manage negative sentiment from the harm that tobacco continues to cause.

Through all these strategies, tobacco companies aim to reduce political and regulatory risks and to regain the public confidence that is necessary to retain the social license to remain in business.

Objective:

This paper presents results from detailed, face-to-face interviews with a small number of high ranking global tobacco executives.

Results:

Key findings include the company's perspectives on addiction, CSR, and marketing, its strategies for ensuring shareholder value into the future, its views about what constitutes a balanced tobacco control policy, its hopes for the development of PREPs, and for closer engagement with government and the public health community.

Despite the CSR efforts of the tobacco industry, the public health movement has largely refused to enter into “dialogue” or to search for “common ground” on tobacco regulation. Interviews with tobacco executives do, however, assist in putting multinational tobacco companies on the record and provide important insights into future regulatory strategies at a time when the industry is seeking to lose its pariah status.