Big tobacco keeps starting 'grassroots' Facebook campaigns

Tobacco companies are skilled at using Facebook's powerful ad platform to micro-target voters, pushing them to sign online petitions. Companies then gain signees' addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, and open a line of communication through their new relationship with concerned citizens. These relationships are valuable to tobacco companies in an industry fighting increased taxes and regulation.

In response to a recent bill in Oregon (HB 2270) that would increase taxes on cigarettes by $2, require cigarettes and certain cigars to be sold in packs of 20 or more and tax vaping and e-cigarettes like other tobacco products, the group Oregonians Against Tax Hikes (OATH) was created on Facebook on March 22, 2019.

A closer look at the fine print shows that this group and its ads were "a project of RAI Services Co. and Altria Client Services, LLC."

RAI Services Co. is a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc – the second largest tobacco company in the US. Altria Client Services, LLC is a service company for the Altria Group whose operating companies include Philip Morris USA, Nat Sherman, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., and John Middleton.

So what appears to be a local group of concerned citizens is actually a lobbying campaign funded by Big Tobacco.

OATH has spent $68,311 on 89 targeted Facebook ads since April this year, ads like this:

These ads took viewers to a website with a pledge to be sent to legislators. While OATH sent signatories' emails to legislators, they did not submit the list of signatures as public testimony during the bill's hearings. In fact, some legislators like Representative Bill Post, who voted against the bill, said they were not familiar with the group or their pledge.

Similarly, the group No Blank Checks for Colorado's petition against HB 1333 (a ballot initiative for increased tobacco taxes) was not delivered during public hearings.

It's common for businesses and groups to enter testimony or letters into the public record. In Oregon, Plaid Pantry Convenience stores submitted testimony opposing HB 2270 in April and again in June. In Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance had one person testify against HB 1333 in April and four more people testify against it in May.

While auto-generated emails were sent to individual legislators, no public testimony was given or submitted by anyone representing OATH or No Blank Checks for Colorado.

"What the tobacco companies are trying to hide is that they are the ones behind these front groups," explains Willmore from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "They may think they are more likely to be scrutinized and exposed if they submit comments under their front group names during public hearings or through testimony. Individual letters to legislators are more under the radar."

Furthermore, neither Oregonians Against Tax Hikes nor No Blank Checks for Colorado make any promises on their websites that they won't use, share or sell the data they collect.

Source: Engadget

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