Opinion ID: 1443950
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The ALF advertisements

Text: Lorillard claims the advertisements of the truth® campaign violate Subsection VI(h) of the MSA and focuses on four examples of ads titled: Shredder, Hypnosis, Lie Detector, and Dog Walker. We have carefully considered these examples and the other ads in the record before us and find no merit to Lorillard's claims that ALF has breached the MSA. Our analysis begins with a summary of the examples Lorillard has cited. In Shredder, a cargo truck with the truth® logo tows a large machine labeled Shredder 2000 and stops in front of an office building on a city street. The words Outside a major tobacco company. appear at the bottom of the television screen. Although the building is Philip Morris's New York City headquarters, the advertisement does not directly disclose its identity or even the city where the ad takes place. Even so, it is conceivable that at least some New Yorkers would recognize the building as the headquarters of Phillip Morris. At various times in the advertisement, people are visible inside the building, but their faces have been pixilated to protect their identity. Two youths stand beside the towed machine, a large wood chipper. The youths use megaphones to address employees in the building. The first announces, Attention tobacco manufacturers! Do you have a lot of embarrassing reports lying around the office? You can't just leave that job to any paper shredder, you need Shredder 2000! The other youth agrees, That is right, folks. You need Shredder 2000 to use on documents like this research report from 1981 that says `Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer.' He then runs to the mouth of the shredder with a paper report and throws it into the teeth, shredding it. The first youth then asks Or this report where you actually gauge smoking patterns of sixth graders? He proceeds to shred the report while the second youth asks another question, And you know what folks? With the Shredder 2000, you don't even have to take those highly confidential files out of the cabinets. Two more people carry a four-drawer file cabinet to the mouth of the shredder. You can just throw the whole darned thing in. They shred the entire filing cabinet. The whole filing cabinet! exclaims the second youth. The first youth then exclaims, Heck yeah, and even your briefcase! Shredder 2000 shreds it all! A man in a hard hat feeds a briefcase into the shredder. The first youth continues, More effectively, quicker, better than any shredder in this building. Am I right? The second youth replies, You are right! The first youth continues, I guarantee it! The second youth asks, And you know those top secret files you had on your computer? Just throw the whole computer in. It's gone. A computer monitor is shredded. The first youth confirms, Completely gone. You need Shredder 2000! While the two youths dance behind the shredder, the ad concludes with a voice that says Shredder 2000now available in regular and kingsize. In Hypnosis, three youths are driving a truck at night. The words Somewhere in tobacco suburbia. appear at the bottom of the television screen. One youth says, I'm feeling the vibe, Man. We're going to find these tobacco guys. They stop the van at a convenience store. They ask a passing pedestrian, Hey, Man. Do you know if there are any tobacco executives around here? They stop the van at a fast-food, drive-through window. Through the ordering microphone, they ask the employee, Do you know if any tobacco executives live around here? There is no reply. Another pedestrian gives directions, Go three blocks down, make a left. You'll see some big houses. The youths attempt to confirm the directions, then unfold a map. They drive the van past very large, well-lit houses with large yards. One youth exclaims in awe, Look at the size of the houses. Another youth replies, I guess working for an industry that kills over a thousand people a day, ah, pays pretty well. One youth says, We gotta help these people, Man. Turn on the tape. The youth driving the van agrees, Yeah. Yeah. Cue the tape. There is a reel-to-reel tape player mounted inside the van. Loudspeakers fixed to the top of the van issue a woman's loud but soothing voice. I am a good person. Selling a product that kills people makes me uncomfortable. I realize cigarettes are addictive. One youth comments, It looks like money is addictive, too. The voice continues over the van's loudspeakers, . . .kill over four hundred and thirty thousand people each year. Tomorrow I will look for a new job. I will be less concerned with covering my butt and more concerned with doing the right thing. The ad ends with a youth announcing that they are just trying to help. The voice begins to repeat as the van continues driving through the upscale neighborhood. There is no indication of the city where the ad was filmed. In Lie Detector, several youths enter a large, corporate building. The words Inside a major tobacco company. appear at the bottom of the television screen. The building is the headquarters of Phillip Morris, but as in Shredder, the advertisement does not directly disclose its identity or location. The name of the building is pixilated to mask it. Again, it is conceivable that at least some New Yorkers would recognize the building as the headquarters of Phillip Morris. One youth announces to the guard at the front desk that we have a delivery for the marketing department. The faces of the guards and everyone but the youths are pixilated to hide their identity. The guard asks, Who are you here to see? Another youth clarifies, the VP of marketing. The first youth continues, You can just tell her we're dropping off a lie detector. They place a large case labeled lie detector on the guard's desk. The camera cuts to a woman dressed much as the guards are dressed; her face is pixilated. One of the youths asks, Hi, are you Rita? She replies, No. The youth continues, We just thought you'd know if Rita was in. The woman says, I already answered that. Alright? You can have a seat, or you can leave. The youths sit in the lobby and wait. A man appears in a light suit; his face is also pixilated. One youth says, Hey, look at this guy. The first youth says, You're not Rita. He shakes the youth's hand, OK. Can I help you? The youth explains, We have a lie detector to clear up the confusion. . . . Your company has said that nicotine isn't addictive, and then you say that it is. The man asks, Do you have an appointment with anyone in particular? The youth replies, We were told to come to see Rita. The man interrupts, Leave her a voice mail. The youth cheerfully agrees, OK. Great. She calls from the front desk and says into the phone, Hi, Rita. . . . I just wanted to drop off a lie detector. She looks away from the phone, She hung up on me. . . . Maybe it was the wrong Rita. The security guards ask them to leave. While walking backwards to the front door, the youth explains, OK. We're leaving, but your company has said that nicotine isn't addictive, and then you say that it is, and we're just trying to get at the truth. Dog Walker is a radio ad and begins with the ringing of a telephone. A woman answers, Good afternoon, Lorillard. The caller says, Hello, Ma'am. My name is John, and I was hoping I could talk to someone about a business idea. The woman asks, What is the nature of this business, though? The caller announces that, I'm a professional dog walker by trade, and my dogs, they pee a lot, usually onlikefire hydrants and people's flower beds. I thought, why not collect it and sell it to you tobacco people? Well, see, dog pee is full of urea, and that's one of the chemicals you guys put into cigarettes, and I was just hoping to make a little extra spending cash. . . . I can send you some samples. I got Chihuahua, Golden Retriever, some high-test Rottweiler pee. It's all good stuff. She then transfers the caller to someone else, who answers the phone with his full name, heard clearly in the ad and not edited or omitted from it. The person hangs up on him at the mention of his pee proposal. An announcer concludes the commercial, stating, You've been infected with a powerful contagion. Truth exposes the tobacco industry's deceptions to the light of day. And it spreads. The truth outbreak tour is here. Check out the truth dot com. Infect truth. [3]