Back To 1995: Chapter 404 black history
Chapter 404 Black History
At this time, other tobacco companies in America were similar to Philips. We all knew that the interview with ICNC TV station would have an impact on them, but at this point, the influence of ICNC’s shot still far surpassed them. expected.
This is also the reason why the stock prices of major tobacco companies have plummeted. Wall Street investment institutions are not afraid of having a bad reputation. There are many companies with a bad reputation, but they invest before they should invest. The key is that tobacco The company may have played it off this time, losing a large sum of dollars, and then the president and supervisor will be taken over. At that time, it will be a question of whether companies such as Philip will survive.
Hearing that they might be charged with criminal proceedings, and even go to federal prison for several years, the directors of Philips, who accused Biber just now, were silent at this moment, and the idea of replacing Biber disappeared.
At this time, Biber, who does not put down his burden and run away, already has professional ethics. If Biber is driven away, no one will dare to sit in Biber's position. Let them sit on the crater of the crater, and they may die faster.
All Philip's directors looked at each other, and they all understood that at this time, they could only rely on Biber to get through this crisis.
Seeing this scene, Biber knew in his heart that at this moment, he would probably become the most powerful president in the history of Philip Morris, including the board of directors, who should be headed by him, and he was expected to lead Philip Morris through the crisis That's right, the group of people who were against him in the past will shut up now.
The public relations company invited from Washington said helplessly at this time, "Public opinion is already very unfavorable to other tobacco companies such as Philip and Reynolds. The medical investigation report by Hill and Dole is really too deadly." Now, even if it can be proved in the future that tobacco is not the sole cause of those patients, it is impossible now!"
“In New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and American states, and even overseas, anti-tobacco organizations have begun to appear, including the American Children’s Society, the American Heart Association, the Smoke-Free Games, and the Italian Anti-Tobacco Alliance. They have all spoken out against tobacco companies.”
All over the world, a lot of anti-tobacco alliances suddenly popped up, most of them came from the medical industry. Not a concept at all.
"Now, the most important thing is to avoid getting Philip involved in criminal proceedings. There are two ways. The first is to respond directly, but the risk is very high. The second is to settle out of court, which is to reach a settlement with the Mississippi Department of Justice. Philip and the Tobacco Association will compensate you a sum of money, and then you will be exempted from criminal proceedings or even other lawsuits, and all troubles will be completely solved!"
The public relations company gave Biber two choices. The first one is tough, which depends on whether the tobacco company is the leader, or the Federation dares to sacrifice the tobacco company to heaven, and does not want the high tobacco tax every year. The second is The method is to spend a large sum of money, exempt from criminal proceedings and all previous problems, and start to travel lightly.
Upon hearing that they might have to pay tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of dollars, the director of Philips couldn't bear it anymore, "Even if the states like Mississippi sue us, it is mainly according to ICNC reports that tobacco companies are suing us. Tobacco is harmful, it is knowledge concealment, and fraudulent sales, etc., what if we deny this?!"
The key is ICNC's report, which pierced the last layer of window paper, which is fatal. In the past, tobacco companies could pretend to be stupid and pretend that they did not know, but now they are suspected of deliberately concealing the truth, which is the most essential. the difference.
Now the directors of Philips want to insist that they don't know, there is no fraudulent marketing, etc. If they can get away with it, even if they lose money, they won't lose so much.
Hearing this, the director of the public relations company couldn’t help but look mentally retarded. He turned on his IBM laptop and logged into a forum. “History has memories, even if it has passed 82 years!”
Biber and the others looked at the computer, only to see an old yellowed newspaper on the forum, and it was hard to tell how many years had passed.
The date Biber saw the newspaper turned out to be a newspaper in 1913. It was a newspaper advertisement by Reynolds Company for the newly produced "Camel Brand" blended tobacco. Camel brand cigarettes can make people "eat deliciously, digest false alarms, and be physically strong" and other praises for Camel brand tobacco.
Seeing this, the newspapers excavated from the historical pile, everyone in the Philips company read it a little dull. This is the rhythm of wanting to beat Reynolds company to death. This can no longer be called fraudulent marketing. This is Press people's IQ on the ground and rub it.
The powerful Internet gods also unearthed a number of tobacco giants. Before the emergence of the Tobacco Prohibition Propaganda Law, various advertisements published in newspapers and TV stations, the "Lucky Strike" tobacco company also claimed that their cigarettes can lose weight. In the women's market, there is also "Paramount" tobacco under Phnom Penh Chen, which has developed a filter tobacco and directly claims that this stuff can protect human health. Naturally, Phillips' company is also indispensable. Looking at those advertisements, bye Bo was a little confused.
The Internet has memories. Looking at the newspapers on the forum pages, Biber was a little silent. Let alone those ordinary people, even he knew for the first time that there was such a thing in the tobacco industry. Black history, playing such a wild way, can only have consequences, and now it has been dug out again.
With these things, even if the tobacco industry has a hundred mouths, it can’t say that it has not done fraudulent marketing. These slogans that promote digestion, lose weight, and protect human health are always the slogans they once shouted!
While Biber and a group of directors of Philip's company were looking at the things on the forum, and they were a little overwhelmed, the people from the public relations company received another call, and their faces became extremely ugly.
"Turn on the ICNC TV station, there is an emergency!" The staff of the public relations company put down the phone with an unusually ugly expression.
Biber had a bad feeling in his heart. After turning on the ICNC TV, he saw that it was an interview, and the location of the interview was an office. The reporter who appeared in front of the camera was holding a microphone with the ICNC logo. The target was the head of the State Department of Health in Mississippi.
In this office, there are several media outlets, but the person C asked the question was a reporter from ICNC.
"So, Mississippi has spent $12.9 billion on tobacco-related medical assistance over the past decade?"
Hearing the ICNC reporter's question, Biber's eyelids twitched, and he had an ominous premonition, like a fattened pig about to be slaughtered.
The head of the Mississippi Department of Health, who was asked about it, had a serious face, "It's not even limited to that. Last year alone, Mississippi hospitals spent 21.7% of the state's overall hospital expenditure on treating patients caused by tobacco. It is estimated that the entire American The medical system has incurred a cost of more than $72.7 billion!"
"shit!"
Seeing this, even Biber couldn't bear it anymore and began to yell. He still couldn't see that this is the rhythm of crossing rivers, demolishing bridges, dismantling mills and killing donkeys. When the time comes, bite them hard.
As for Mississippi, as well as other states in America, it doesn’t really matter whether they have really done charity and borne these expenses for those people. Tobacco companies like Philip Morris have launched a lawsuit, or in other words, they have extorted a huge amount of dollars in exchange for a settlement!
There was a lot of scolding in the office of Philip Morris. It can be seen that these are the federal states. They have given up their support. They have taken so much tax from them in the past. Cut a bunch of leeks hard.
The phone kept ringing. Apparently, other tobacco companies also saw this scene, and they all started to find Philip, the boss of the tobacco industry, to discuss countermeasures.
Various thoughts flashed through Biber's mind quickly. Looking at the ICNC logo, he remembered the scene when he met Song Yang. Song Yang said that sentence to him, isn't he already prepared for this day? !
A thought suddenly popped out of Biber's mind, "Go to ICNC TV station, we will also issue a statement, don't they want us to give an explanation, then give them an explanation!"
"Philip Morris is willing to reach a historic agreement to pay the tobacco "victims" and the states of America to reach a settlement, but this agreement cannot be limited to the Philip Morris family, The entire Tobacco Association and even overseas tobacco companies must join in!"
Hearing that Biber wanted to make Philip Company plead guilty and accept punishment, the office exploded for a while. Philip's directors all exclaimed, did Biber have something wrong with his brain? That's why you have to call out a sky-high price.
Biber turned a deaf ear to these accusations, and just said, "The tobacco industry will definitely start to change, and compensation is inevitable, but how to change, Philips, must be in its own hands!"
"Through the Tobacco Association, let all tobacco companies that have sold products in America join the compensation party. No matter how much the compensation is, Philips must control the distribution of compensation, that is, which tobacco company should bear how much compensation Jin, let Philip Company have the final say, this is Philip Company's only request to those who claim compensation!"
The person from the public relations company heard Biber's words, a thought suddenly popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but gasped.
If the Philips company has the right to distribute the compensation, then it only needs to use their hands to let those small and medium-sized tobacco companies bear the huge compensation that is simply unbearable. Then the big tobacco companies may lose money, and the small and medium-sized tobacco companies will lose money. Fate, after this wave passes, the small and medium-sized tobacco companies in North America and Europe are estimated to be wiped out!
(end of this chapter)