BOSTON: Corporate watchdog Infact has called for a boycott of Philip Morris' Kraft and RJR's Nabisco food products. The move is an angry response to Philip Morris' financial support for the PR campaign that defeated tobacco control legislation last session.
Infact's Boston-based communications team has solicited the help of the Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, in their battle against the cigarette manufacturers.
'Until the tobacco industry ceases its aggressive marketing practices and interference in our democracy, consumers should apply economic pressure on Big Tobacco by refusing to purchase Kraft or Nabisco products,' said Koop.
But Darienne Dennis, director of corporate comm-unications at Philip Morris Management Corporation did not feel the financial dona-tions to the lobbyists interfered with democracy - quite the opposite.
'Philip Morris strongly supports the rights of individuals and organizations to express their point of view. The company also strongly supports the rights of consumers to make purchasing decisions based on product attributes and customer preferences, not because of press tactics applied by third party organizations.'
Dennis said she did not think the boycott would affect business, but refused to answer further questions regarding PR measures the organization would take. A crisis PR plan does not seem to be in place: PR executives from both companies denied they had even heard of the boycott.
