Tobacco corporate social responsibility and fairy godmothers: the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control slays a modern myth

Abstract

This will not come as a great surprise to many readers, but it turns out that multi-national tobacco companies are not generous, kind-hearted or benevolent, and that any similarity they bear to boy scouts or fairy godmothers is dangerously misleading. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP), meeting last November in Durban, reminded us of these truths. It recognised that tobacco company corporate social responsibility (CSR), whether in the form of donations to charity, support for good causes or lavishly funded campaigns trumpeting their own virtuous behaviour, is in fact a self seeking marketing tool designed to win friends and influence people. It is as much part of ensnaring new generations of tobacco users as are cowboys and camels. This paper explains how CSR forms part of the tobacco industry‟s wider marketing strategy and, reassuringly, that the FCTC sees CSR for what it is.