FDA orders tobacco giant to hand over market research

The firm advertised the name change by adding ‘onserts’ to packets of Marlboro Lights telling customers that “Your Marlboro Lights pack is changing, but your cigarette stays the same”, ahead of changes in US law that prohibit the use of the words ‘light’, ‘mild’ or ‘low’ in tobacco products.

However, the FDA felt there was a danger that customers might think they were still smoking a lighter, and therefore less dangerous, brand once the name change came into effect and decided to look into what consumers make of the change.

In a letter to Philip Morris the FDA demanded “all documents referring to or relating to marketing research, regardless of whether qualitative, empirical, or otherwise” that contain consumers’ perceptions, beliefs, concerns, thoughts and impressions about the Marlboro Lights brand.

The FDA said it is “concerned that the statements included in the onserts attached to the individual packs of Marlboro Lights may perpetuate the mistaken beliefs associated with ‘light’ cigarettes when marketed as Marlboro in the gold pack”.

“By stating that only the packaging is changing, but the cigarettes will stay the same, the onsert suggests that Marlboro in the gold pack will have the same characteristics as Marlboro Lights, including any mistaken attributes associated with the ‘light’ cigarettes,” the FDA said.

Philip Morris has been given a deadline of the end of July to submit its research.