PR Week Offers Free Advice to Philip Morris

Now that Philip Morris has apologized for its role in commissioning a report claiming that the Czech Republic benefits from the premature deaths of smokers, the August 6 issue of PR Week asked PR pros, "How can Philip Morris regain PR ground following the publication of the Czech report?" Advice from the experts included:

  • "More advertisements praising the philanthropic activities of its Kraft and Miller subsidiaries would be wise."
  • "The best thing for it to do is minimize its public profile."
  • "Partner itself with a consumer watchdog group."
  • "Fire all of those involved in commissioning these studies, and obtain confidentiality statements from each of them."
  • "Resist interview requests; any interviews on this will be no-win situations."