Tobacco.org

• Philip Morris USA discusses target marketing 

Members of media affairs and corporate communications at Philip Morris USA, the U.S. cigarette industry’s highest revenue, income, volume and market share generator, hosted a Nov. 15 luncheon at Emeril’s restaurant.

The purpose of the luncheon was to discuss the company’s marketing efforts, smoking cessation programs, new research and products. The company also introduced the executives who are responsible for responding to media inquiries and who direct the ethnic media outreach for the company.

Four publications, including the Broward Times, and members of a local communications company, attended the event.

The company has no current or future plans to market its products – which cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious diseases – to ethnic markets, the executives said.

“Promotions are national,” said Bill Phelps, manager of media affairs for Philip Morris USA. “Marketing is broad based. We do not target ethnicities.”

The company’s Virginia Slims cigarettes are an example of target marketing, said Phelps. But, he said, they are targeted to women over the age of 21, not to an ethnicity.

Although Phelps stated that the company’s marketing is broad-based, the Philip Morris news release specifically inviting the ethnic media to the luncheon stated that it would be “a Miami Market lunchtime discussion about PM USA’s marketing efforts, its relationship with ethnic media, current tobacco legislation and how it relates to African Americans and Hispanics.’’

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