Company: Philip Morris International, Lausanne, Switzerland
Company Description: Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. he company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor and oral nicotine products.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Corporate Communications
 Nomination Title: Rethinking Disruption, Philip Morris International
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
July 19, 2022
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated campaign or program, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
Innovation cannot occur in a bubble. Delivering disruptive change quickly and equitably requires fresh thinking and concerted action, especially on the part of policymakers. It is also critical that governments support those driving positive change. When it comes to replacing cigarettes with better, smoke-free alternatives, this means collaborating with businesses and calibrating regulatory policies to reflect the latest science.
There has long been a need for innovative products that offer a better choice than cigarettes for adults who smoke. Those products now exist thanks to advances in science and technology, as well as ongoing category investment by PMI and others. Critically, these better products must be commercialized responsibly and only to their intended audience: adults who smoke or use another nicotine product. To achieve a radical change for all smokers and public health, risk-proportionate regulation is equally critical.
PMI’s Rethinking Disruption campaign was born of the realization that progress too often is impeded by stasis and misinformation. We needed to involve the public and critical stakeholders in fact-based conversations about the potential of tobacco harm reduction and the science behind smoke-free products. To address this issue, PMI decided to go deep—exploring how society can harness the power of positive disruption to the benefit of all. The thought leadership campaign highlighted how PMI is innovating for good and driving disruptive change in the nicotine space while continuing to advocate for inclusive dialogue, bridge divides, and leverage the power of positive disruption to accelerate a smoke-free future and better world.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
Following the launch of PMI’s Hear All Voices campaign in spring 2022, Rethinking Disruption built on the research, insights, and communications already existing under PMI’s well-established Unsmoke the Future banner. The campaign and companion white paper gained additional insight from an innovation-focused survey conducted on behalf of PMI by independent research company Povaddo between July 19 and August 10, 2022. The survey polled 17,000-plus adults across 14 countries.
Through focused, high-impact storytelling, PMI used Rethinking Disruption to provide a surround-sound approach to its communications during the 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum in September and extending through the fourth quarter. By messaging directly to the policymaker and diplomatic community, along with key opinion leaders in New York and Washington, D.C., around the societal impact of innovation in public health, our campaign highlighted the pressing need for collaboration on solutions that are practical and grounded in science to achieve positive disruption in the tobacco and nicotine sector.
The campaign featured paid and owned media at both the global and market level, with sponsored messaging appearing in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Politico, Rolling Stone, National Journal, SmartBrief, and The Hill. Earned media targets included other specialized politics/policy outlets, as well as vertical publications.
A dedicated landing page on PMI.com housed a variety of creative assets, including print (long-form op-eds), advertorials, digital banner ads, 15”-30” pre-roll videos, country-specific survey factsheets, and a press release—all available for localization.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2019. Even if your initiative started before 2021, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2021 only (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
Our survey respondents confirmed the public’s appetite for disruptive innovation to address a wide range of global issues, including reducing smoking rates.
Survey highlights included:
- Most respondents believe innovation can address many of the world’s most pressing challenges in the next 10 to 20 years—including reducing smoking rates (65%).
- While 89% believe technologies and innovations can improve public health, 82% said the healthcare sector needs to radically change to deliver a significant, positive societal impact.
- Only 45% consider the government a driver of positive innovation. In contrast, 68% said business and industry are drivers of such innovation.
On top of other communications activities, PMI’s top executives engaged 200-plus key opinion leaders in person through more than two dozen events in New York and Washington, D.C., including a moderated discussion with former U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and a panel discussion hosted by The Wall Street Journal. A subsequent media panel in Washington, D.C., attracted 18 journalists from 11 countries and engaged opinion leaders in debating the most productive regulatory approach to tobacco harm reduction.
Earned media engagement during UNGA week generated 300-plus articles across 21 markets (effective reach: 3.2 million), with nearly half mentioning the Povaddo study. Paid media delivered nearly 93.6 million impressions and an impressive click-through rate of .16%. The campaign landing page on PMI.com generated nearly 140,000 visits, and 49 social media posts captured 700,000-plus impressions and 10,000-plus likes and other reactions.
- You have the option to reference here any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 202 words used.
About the campaign:
- A PMI white paper explored the dynamics of positive disruption and its potential to drive meaningful progress on tobacco harm reduction and other critical issues.
- A dedicated Rethinking Disruption landing page highlighted PMI’s embrace of science-based, disruptive innovation and advocated for forward-thinking regulation to deliver a smoke-free future. The site also featured our survey findings and two bylines from PMI CEO Jacek Olczak and Head of External Affairs Grégoire Verdeaux.
·A global press release announced our survey findings, revealing strong societal support for disruptive innovations to drive public health progress.
About us:
- At no other time in its 150-year history has PMI had so much potential to lead the transformation of the tobacco industry and create positive change in the world.
- In 2022, we celebrated eight years of smoke-free innovation at PMI, making strong progress toward our 2025 ambition of achieving at least 50% of net revenues from smoke-free products.
- PMI’s Statement of Purpose speaks to the strides we have made to accelerate the decline of cigarette smoking beyond what traditional tobacco control measures can achieve.
- Innovating for better alternatives is at the core of our strategy. Our smoke-free portfolio includes heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products—all without combustion.
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