A Case Analysis Of A Public Tobacco Campaign

8 Pages 2100 Words

R.J. Reynolds (RJR) is one of many cigarette companies that is working toward the continued deregulation of tobacco by the government. One affective strategy employed by RJR was to place public informational advertisements in major national newspaper and magazines. It is important to study the public texts produced by RJR as they reveal a complex and evolving public campaign to influence public health policy. The following is an analysis of the constraints facing the tobacco industry, ways it confronts this impediments, theoretical perspectives apply to evaluate their effectiveness and draw some lessons for the practice of organizational communication.
Richard Joshua Reynolds of Winston, North Carolina, founded RJR in 1875. Some general facts and goals at RJR are described in their mission statement.
Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJRT) is the second largest cigarette manufacturer in the Untied States, with four of the nation’s 10 best selling brands … W e will continually strive to meet the preference of adult …[w]e conduct our business in a responsible and ethical manner, recognizing the risks associated with the use of cigarettes, and committed to being a constructive participant in various public policy issues involving smoking. (RJRT.com)
Thus, RJR focuses its attention on product development and market expansion, while at the same time acknowledging their complicity in the public health issues surrounding smoking. The following section analyzes the informational advertisements placed by RJR between 1993 and 1998 to show how the affective elements in the advertisements changed over time to combat obstacles they faced and acknowledge the organizational culture.
In the period of 1993 to 1995, RJR places many information advertisements in newspapers such as USA Today and The New York Times in an effort to oppose government regulation of tobacco. This began when William Jefferson Clinton was elected President and dir...