A Clever Marketing Ploy Or Are Philip Morris Int Serious?
It might sound like something from Orwell’s newspeak however Unsmoke is a new campaign from Philip Morris International aimed at ridding the world of smoking.
Yeah it all seems a little white is black and black is white given PMI are one of the largest Big Tobacco corporations. However for the last year or so they have been trying to convince everyone they really are keen to stop producing cigarettes.
Their road to a ‘smoke free world’ began last year with the launch of the ‘Designing a Smoke-Free Future‘ website – a move that drew skeptical comments – including from me – to say the least.
It seems UNsmoke is the next step in PMI’s grand scheme to save the world from smoking and has a simple message:
If you don’t smoke, don’t start
If you smoke, quit
If you don’t quit, change
Unsmoke
PMI says it’s extremely concerned that a recent study by the anti vaping World Health Organization, states that by 2025 the number of smokers in the world will remain unchanged and it’s this worrying statistic PMI wants to tackle.
Jacek Olczak, PMI’s chief operating officer said the company was ready to lead the way on a global scale:
It should be crystal clear: If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change. That’s unsmoking.
It is a fact that burning generates the vast majority of harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Eliminating the combustion dramatically reduces the levels of harmful chemicals.
There is a growing consensus among scientists and public health experts that products that do not burn and are backed by science are a much better choice than cigarettes.
Agreed…
TEEPs the Latest HNB Device From PMI
The main thrust of the UNsmoke campaign is obviously to get smokers to quit, however PMI do suggest if smokers can’t quit there are alternatives. And given they’ve invested over $6 billion in their own ‘alternatives’ they do of course make sure visitors to the website are pointed in the direction of their products…not bad marketing ploy if I’m honest.
We’ve reviewed the heat not burn product IQOS – the cause of a split in the world of vaping and indeed the IQOS Mesh – the company’s first product that contained e-liquid. However a new concept has been devised called TEEPS which is another HNB device.
TEEPS sounds very interesting indeed and whilst it’s a Heat Not Burn device there is some ignition involved. In this case the ‘carbon heat source’ on the tip of the device is lit – which in turn heats the tobacco.
PMI says:
Once the carbon heat source is lit, heat is transferred to a uniquely processed tobacco plug, designed for heating and not for smoking.
The patented design of TEEPS prevents tobacco from burning. The consumer puffs on TEEPS to inhale a flavorful nicotine-containing vapor until the end of the experience.
Similar to IQOS, TEEPS heats tobacco to release its true taste.
Because the tobacco is heated and not burned, the level of harmful chemicals is significantly reduced compared to cigarette smoke.
Sounds interesting – especially that ‘ignition’ process…isn’t that burning? Hopefully we’ll be reviewing in the near future to see exactly what’s going on…
All The Infighting Is Confusing Smokers Looking To Quit
So the simple question is are these stop the world smoking campaigns merely a platform to promote the company’s ‘alternative’ products, or do PMI really want to rid the world of smoking?
I’m a cynical old sod but did have my own Road to Damascus moment last year when I came to the conclusion any product that is proven to be safer than smoking and helps people to quit should be embraced…no matter what company is behind it.
Of course PMI isn’t doing all this advocacy work for free – they obviously want to promote their products and these types of campaigns are aimed at their bottom lines, and I don’t have an issue with that if I’m honest. It will take time for others to agree I’m sure – until then any message to help the world’s smokers quit has to be welcomed…as I’ve said many times we really are in the world of strange bedfellows!
It’s time to champion global efforts to live in a #smokefree world.
Whether by making the best choice and quitting tobacco and nicotine use altogether…
Or change to a better alternative.
Find out all about what is #unsmoke here: https://t.co/S2CXaKODqf pic.twitter.com/vZeXs9DMOJ— Philip Morris Intl (@InsidePMI) April 9, 2019
Indeed according to a new study carried out by research company Povaddo said a staggering 79% of the 4,545 people quizzed said they supported PMI’s bid to work globally to rid the world of smoking whilst 73% said it was ‘a good thing’ PMI was moving its business model away from cigarettes and into safer products.
Jacek Olczak said the infighting from all sides of the smoking / vaping debate was confusing many smokers and called for a ‘common goal’ of ridding the world of lit tobacco:
Many people and organizations still prefer to focus on an ideological fight.
The controversy they generate continues to confuse people who smoke, and those skeptics are quickly becoming the biggest advocates of continued cigarette smoking.
The consequences of this confusion are that people continue to smoke cigarettes, whose harmful effects are well known.
It is common sense to move away from ideology and take concrete steps forward together toward a common goal: remove smoke from our world and encourage 1.1 billion men and women to switch to better alternatives if they do not quit.
Can’t argue with that…
Checkout the UNsmoke website here.
