Butt out: Philip Morris asks Hollywood to keeps its cigarettes off the screen

What is the opposite of product placement? Product removal?

Whatever it's called, Philip Morris USA says it does not want its cigarettes used as movie props. The Henrico County-based company is asking Hollywood producers and directors not to show its brands in productions aimed at youth - and to consider eliminating all smoking scenes. "There is a causal link between the appearance of smoking in films and youth taking up the habit," says David Sutton, a Philip Morris spokesman. "And our position is that kids should not smoke. Period."

The company's ads in entertainment trade publications such as Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter backs up that "causal link" claim. The ads cite three major studies that found that exposure to smoking in movies and television shows can inspire young people to smoke. "You have the power to help prevent youth smoking - just by losing one little prop," the text of one ad reads.

Sutton notes that since 1990 Philip Morris has denied all requests for permission to use its brands in movies and TV shows for general audiences. Freedom of creative expression, however, prevents the company from bringing legal action against anyone who uses the cigarettes, he says.

Philip Morris has had a Youth Smoking Prevention Department since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) resolved lawsuits filed by 46 states against major tobacco companies.

Greg Warren, an analyst for Morningstar Inc., notes that the company's decision to start the ad campaign is partly motivated by a desire to be a good corporate citizen. But there are economic issues driving the issue as well, he adds.

As a result of the MSA, tobacco companies have limited avenues for advertising their products. With the new push to ban cigarettes from television and the silver screen, industry leader Philip Morris can set a precedent, cutting off indirect product exposure achieved by competitors, says Warren. "Reynolds and other cigarette manufacturers are forced to look at this and say, 'Well, if Philip Morris isn't letting their products be placed, how is it going to look if we're not doing anything about the use of our products?' " he says.

The move also could afford legal protection. Philip Morris is sensitive to any suggestion that it encourages product placement in movies and television, says Warren. "They want people to understand that if their brands are being used, they're not responsible for it. The last thing they want is a whole other round of lawsuits to start up."