Marketing Practices

We market brands such as Marlboro, L&M, Parliament and Virginia Slims in the United States. We compete to grow our share of the market. This means we want adult smokers to remain loyal to our brands. And we want adult smokers who smoke other brands to transition to ours. 

Consumer Communications

We work hard to market our products to adult smokers and to limit the reach of our materials to unintended audiences, including non-users and people under the legal age to purchase tobacco products. We limit access to our tobacco brand websites to adult tobacco consumers 21+. We require consumers to confirm that they are adult tobacco consumers and we use an electronic age-verification process to ensure they are 21 years of age or older.

• One-to-one Communications - We use direct mail and email to support the launch of products, invite adult smokers 21+ to consumer engagement programs, announce brand promotions and deliver coupons and other communications. We maintain a secure database of age-verified adult smokers 21+ who have elected to hear from us. A person may request to no longer receive communications from us at any time.
• Consumer Websites - Our age-restricted brand websites enable adult smokers 21+ to interact with our brands. We use these sites to build brand equity, deliver news and provide promotional support.
• Consumer Marketing Activities - We offer consumer engagement programs, to reinforce brand equity.
• Magazine Advertising Placement - PM USA does not currently advertise its combustible cigarette brands in consumer magazines and newspapers.

Social Media

Social media has become a ubiquitous part of everyday life for many people and a powerful channel for companies to stay connected to their consumers. We're committed to keeping our adult tobacco consumers 21+ at the center of everything we do. As social media continues to shift how people communicate across the world, we'll consider the implications for how we responsibly engage with our adult tobacco consumers 21+. As always, we'll be guided by our current marketing practices, including taking steps designed to limit reach to unintended audiences, including non-users and people under the legal age to purchase tobacco products.

Trade Programs

We offer trade programs to retailers and wholesalers that help them responsibly manage the tobacco category. Our retail trade program is built on effective category management principles, including:

• merchandising our products in an organized way;
• having our brands in-stock and available;
• having our most popular brands in preferred positions;
• clearly communicating price and promotional offers; and
• deterring access by underage purchasers.

The program also includes features to help prevent underage access to tobacco products that go beyond federal law, such as store clerk training and access prevention signage. In addition, we've developed rigorous compliance and training systems to govern retail marketing materials.

In some tobacco categories, we also offer additional financial incentives to retailers who refrain from placing any tobacco products on top of or below the front of the selling counter. We also limit the location, size and amount of PM USA interior and exterior signs at retail.

Protecting our Consumers – Data Security  

We collect personal information as part of our age-verified adult tobacco consumer database 21+ and we take protecting that data seriously. We continue to make investments in administrative, technical and physical safeguards intended to protect our information systems and data from cyber-threats, including human error and malicious acts. Our safeguards include employee training, testing and auditing protocols, backup systems and business continuity plans, maintenance of security policies and procedures, monitoring of networks and systems and third-party risk.