Philip Morris suspends social media campaign after young ‘influencers’ exposed
Personalities used to sell smoking device
New York — Cigarette maker Philip Morris International has suspended a global social media marketing campaign in response to Reuters inquiries into the company’s use of young online personalities to sell its new “heated tobacco” device, including a 21-year-old woman in Russia. The company’s internal “marketing standards” prohibit it from promoting tobacco products with youth-oriented celebrities or “models who are or appear to be under the age of 25”. The company confirmed the decision late on Friday, saying it had launched an internal investigation into marketing posts and photographs sent to the company for comment earlier this week. They included a paid post plugging the tobacco product by social media “influencer” Alina Tapilina in Moscow — who listed her age as 21 on Instagram — alongside often seductive photos of herself drinking wine, swimming and posing with little clothing in luxurious settings. “We have taken the decision to suspend all of our product-related digital in...
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