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Access to Internal Alcohol Industry Documents
Thank You Philip Morris

• Laura Bond, Mike Daube, Tanya Chikritzhs

WA Tobacco Document Searching Program
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Introduction

• Master Settlement Agreement 1998
• Philip Morris purchased Miller Brewing Company in
  1970
• Discovery of 1996 CEO Issues Book
• Access to alcohol documents

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Methods

• 1996 CEO Issues Book
• Systematic document search
• Philip Morris Document Site
• Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
• British American Tobacco Documents Archive
• Keywords
• Miller, Miller Brewing Company, MBC, Beer,
  Alcohol

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Results

• 1996, 1998 2000 CEO Issues Books
• - Developed by Philip Morris
• - For use by the company CEO at AGMs
• - 130-230 page reports
• - Question answer scenarios

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(No Transcript)
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Results

• Key document findings
• Alcohol industry concerns
• Alcohol industry responses and policies
• Similarities in approaches between alcohol and
  tobacco industry

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• Public health concern
• alcohol consumption is beginning to come under
  attack by the medical profession in the same way
  that cigarette smoking began to be attacked in
  the sixties (Sharon Boyse, BAT, 1987)
• Miller Brewing Company five year plan (19921996)
  acknowledged a movement of social attitudes
  toward the moderation of consumption of alcohol,
  along with growing Neo-prohibitionist
  legislative sentiment (Miller Brewing Company,
  1992)

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• Alcohol industry concerns
• Advertising and marketing restrictions
• Warning label requirements
• Sales restrictions
• Tax increases
• Minimum drinking age
• Blood alcohol content lowering
• Government spending on public education

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• Similarities in approaches
• PM tobacco and beer companies
• WRA is taking a liaison role, bringing the
  various players across companies together and
  creating the networks and communication vehicles
  that will facilitate the sharing of valuable
  information on issues management. (Steven
  Parrish, Altria Group, 1995)

• Partnerships
• We participate in a broad coalition of
  organizations committed to defending commercial
  free speech, which includes member companies of
  the tobacco industry, allied industries like the
  liquor industry, the advertising industry,
  industry trade groups
• (Steven Parrish, Altria Group, 1995)

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• Similarities in approaches
• Advertising/marketing strategies
• Studies conducted by government and independent
  researchers conclude advertising affects brand
  performance, not consumption or abuse
• (PM CEO Issues Book, 2000)

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• Advertising/marketing strategies
• Self-regulation
• Marketing to youth
• Strategically, we will be working behind the
  scenes to encourage the 27 states not already
  imposing a minimum drinking age of 21 to delay
  any enactment
• (Alan Easton, Miller Brewing Company, 1984)

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• Advertising/marketing strategies
• Targeting minority groups
• Existing programs of minority print media
  advertising, community involvement and cultural
  support within the black community will be
  enhanced. New or expanded programs targeted to
  the Hispanic community in key market areas are in
  development, and will include greater involvement
  with Hispanic print media, support of key
  business associations and organizations, and an
  increased visibility for Hispanic directed
  promotional marketing efforts.
• (Alan Easton, Miller Brewing Company, 1984)

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• Similarities in approaches
• Lobbying
• stress that Excise Taxes are regressive,
  forcing a disproportionate burden upon those
  least able to afford it.

We will oppose excessive tax increases by
combining our efforts with various beer/alcohol
beverage organizations, such as the Beer
Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers
Association, as well as grass roots
organizations. (Miller Brewing Company, 1992)
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• Similarities in approaches
• Counter-productive education programs
• The industry alone has spent over 250 million
  over the past decade to fund research, public
  safety, education and prevention campaigns to
  curb alcohol abuse (Beer Institute, 1992)
• Avoiding legislation
• Will PM support a proposed national goal of
  uniform state BAC standard of .08? No. Reducing
  the BAC will not get to the root of the drunk
  driving problem (repeat offender with a BAC of
  .17 and higher). Remedial programs and stricter
  enforcement more likely to be effective (PM CEO
  Issues Book, 1996)

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• Similarities in approaches
• Industry contribution to society
• Employs nearly 41,000 people nationwide
• Pays more than 1.9 billion per year in salaries
• Buys nearly 800 million in malt, grains and hops
  annually from US farmers
• Spends nearly 240 million on fuels and
  electricity each year
• (PM, Beer Lobby Materials, 1998)

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• Similarities in approaches
• Philanthropy
• Downplaying evidence of harms
• Heavy lobbying
• Pseudo-science
• Industry front groups (Beer Institute, Tobacco
  Institute)

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• Alcohol industry approval
• Industry education programs
• Emphasis on illicit drugs
• Advertising tax deductibility
• Advertising in all media
• Oppose legislation
• promote self regulation and voluntary codes
• tax increases
• restrictions on products

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Conclusions

• New source of information for research and
  advocacy
• Similarities in approaches between tobacco and
  drinks industries
• Alcohol industry concerns and responses

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Contact Details

• Laura Bond
• Curtin University of Technology
• L.Bond_at_curtin.edu.au
• [phone]
• http//healthsciences.curtin.edu.au/watdsp/