Unethical Conduct

Unethical Conduct

Renae McRunnel

Rasmussen College

Author Note

To be submitted to Toni Starcher for the class of Business Law on 10/18/15.

Unethical Conduct

Phillip Morris, the cigarette manufacturer is considered to be the fifth most unethical company due to its marketing strategies. In the past the company has targeted children and exploited their vulnerability to addictive habits. The company has also employed underage girls to hand out free Marlboro cigarettes to children at clubs and concerts. On top of this unethical marketing, the company issued a report in the Czech Republic saying that premature smokers deaths have ‘positive effects’ because they save the governments money.

The Unethical Marketing

"Maybe never wrote a song", runs the caption on another billboard in Germany, beside the picture of a laughing young woman performer, hair disheveled, cigarette in hand. Other posters show young men riding stunt bikes and motorbikes.

Each advert in the "Don't be a Maybe" campaign ends with the command: "Be Marlboro".

The campaign "exploits adolescents' search for identity by suggesting that – in the face of uncertainty – they should be a Marlboro smoker", says the report. "Although PMI claims that 'Be Marlboro' only targets legal-age smokers, campaign advertisements from around the world clearly focus on youth-oriented images and themes that appeal to teenagers and feature young, attractive models partying, falling in love, adventure travelling and generally being 'cool'".

How to change1

The organizations call on PMI to end the campaign immediately and urge governments to implement tougher anti-tobacco advertising laws. "Not only is Philip Morris International likely violating tobacco control laws in many of the countries it operates this campaign, it is doing so in conjunction with its global campaign of litigation and intimidation aimed at stopping, watering down and delaying life-saving public health measures," said John Stewart, Challenge Big...