The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

The tobacco industry presents a tremendous challenge. The well used mosquito metaphor suggests it needs simply to be eradicated, and numerous internal document analyses demonstrate that the parallel is, if anything, unfair on the mosquito.

So how are we doing in the fight? Smoking prevalence rates, at least in the most successful countries, suggest pretty well: down 40-50% since 1950. Investment analysts however point in quite the opposite direction. Tobacco stock is healthier than ever and the corporations continue to flourish. Health promotion, policy change and even head on litigation seems to have had little impact on their fiscal health. And what about the so called hard core of smokers, who even in the most supportive control regimens seem unable to quit?

So where do we go now? Do we continue what seems to be an ill-fated battle against Wall Street? Or do we begin to think the unthinkable and consider collaboration with what can be framed not as tobacco, but nicotine, companies in hope that immerging technology will enable genuinely and significantly safer delivery systems?

For a corporation such questions would be answered by conducting a ‘competitive analysis' to distinguish potential allies from perennial competitors. The process involves classic marketing: putting yourself in the position of the person or organisation with whom you are considering doing business and taking a dispassionate, non-judgemental look at their aims, methods and trajectory.

This session will do just this by analysing the business strategy of British American Tobacco.