 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Interoffice Memo
Date: 2/9/2006
To: Richard P. Vantaggio, Chairman, Marketing, Promotions & Research, Big Alcohol, Inc.
From: Edward A. Bevand, CEO, Big Alcohol, Inc.
RE: Project: Big Tobacco Obfuscation
Priority:[Urgent]
Dear Dick,
Congratulations on an amazing series of campaigns against the big tobacco companies! It now appears ingrained in the social consciousness of the country
that cigarettes, cigars and pipes are to blame for a host of physical and social ills. Tobacco is bad for you, of course, yet if they only knew about our dirty
little secret! I must say, though, Dick, that deflecting attention away from alcohol-related problems by promoting attacks on the tobacco industry was a stroke
of pure genius! I never thought that the general public would buy into such a ‘health-centered’ campaign, nor that your capable people could steer attention
so expertly away from the number three killer, taking over 100,000 lives each year. And not only were you able to divert attention from the fact that about 65
out of every 100 persons in the U. S. will be in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes, or that alcoholism alone causes approximately 500 million lost
workdays per year, but no one appears aware to this day that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the third leading cause of birth defects. We wouldn’t want
any of that getting out to the regular public, now would we? In the midst of all these public relations hurdles to overcome, I was amazed to find that you’ve
even got hard liquor advertising back on network television! Brilliant!
I don’t believe I need to tell you of the need to keep our critical information and statistics out of the media spotlight. If they knew how dangerous alcohol really
was, it would make tobacco look like a freaking health food, for crying out loud, not to mention the fact that our playful advertising with buxom beauties and
raw humor would ring just a bit hollow. Did you see the one during the super bowl with the streaking goat at the animal football game? Hilarious! And
decisively not at all what real drunks are like at all. I understand an unofficial AOL poll of web visitors rated it #1. That’s just what we need to keep people
drinking and not thinking,
Which brings me to the reason for writing you. Dick, it’s the future. Where do we go from here? I don’t need to remind you of the lackluster performance of
your predecessor’s campaigns against red meat, carbohydrate’s, and sodium. Oh, they did O.K. in the beginning, but were soon dismissed. The attacks on
big tobacco are hard act to follow. Who would have thought that bars and pubs would be required to ban smoking in over a dozen states today, while still
dispensing our liquid gold to drunk driver’s everywhere. Dick, we’ve got to come up with something soon. Who knows how much longer tobacco can take all
the heat? We’ve got prohibition’s failure to fall back on, but we all know that’s not going to last long if congress thinks their constituents want action.
I don’t mean to put your feet to the fire, Dick, but time is of the essence. Let me know as soon as you can of any possible ideas to deflect and divert public
attention away from the truth. Speaking of which, you should probably also burn this memo the moment you receive it. Secrecy is of the utmost importance.
Can you imagine the fallout if they knew?
Edward
EAB/CB
statistical links regarding the ill effects of alcohol almost completely ignored in the media today:
http://www.cspinet.org/booze/516state.html
http://www.crossingsrecovery.com/pages/factson.html
Date: 2/9/2006
To: Richard P. Vantaggio, Chairman, Marketing, Promotions & Research, Big Alcohol, Inc.
From: Edward A. Bevand, CEO, Big Alcohol, Inc.
RE: Project: Big Tobacco Obfuscation
Priority:[Urgent]
Dear Dick,
Congratulations on an amazing series of campaigns against the big tobacco companies! It now appears ingrained in the social consciousness of the country
that cigarettes, cigars and pipes are to blame for a host of physical and social ills. Tobacco is bad for you, of course, yet if they only knew about our dirty
little secret! I must say, though, Dick, that deflecting attention away from alcohol-related problems by promoting attacks on the tobacco industry was a stroke
of pure genius! I never thought that the general public would buy into such a ‘health-centered’ campaign, nor that your capable people could steer attention
so expertly away from the number three killer, taking over 100,000 lives each year. And not only were you able to divert attention from the fact that about 65
out of every 100 persons in the U. S. will be in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes, or that alcoholism alone causes approximately 500 million lost
workdays per year, but no one appears aware to this day that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the third leading cause of birth defects. We wouldn’t want
any of that getting out to the regular public, now would we? In the midst of all these public relations hurdles to overcome, I was amazed to find that you’ve
even got hard liquor advertising back on network television! Brilliant!
I don’t believe I need to tell you of the need to keep our critical information and statistics out of the media spotlight. If they knew how dangerous alcohol really
was, it would make tobacco look like a freaking health food, for crying out loud, not to mention the fact that our playful advertising with buxom beauties and
raw humor would ring just a bit hollow. Did you see the one during the super bowl with the streaking goat at the animal football game? Hilarious! And
decisively not at all what real drunks are like at all. I understand an unofficial AOL poll of web visitors rated it #1. That’s just what we need to keep people
drinking and not thinking,
Which brings me to the reason for writing you. Dick, it’s the future. Where do we go from here? I don’t need to remind you of the lackluster performance of
your predecessor’s campaigns against red meat, carbohydrate’s, and sodium. Oh, they did O.K. in the beginning, but were soon dismissed. The attacks on
big tobacco are hard act to follow. Who would have thought that bars and pubs would be required to ban smoking in over a dozen states today, while still
dispensing our liquid gold to drunk driver’s everywhere. Dick, we’ve got to come up with something soon. Who knows how much longer tobacco can take all
the heat? We’ve got prohibition’s failure to fall back on, but we all know that’s not going to last long if congress thinks their constituents want action.
I don’t mean to put your feet to the fire, Dick, but time is of the essence. Let me know as soon as you can of any possible ideas to deflect and divert public
attention away from the truth. Speaking of which, you should probably also burn this memo the moment you receive it. Secrecy is of the utmost importance.
Can you imagine the fallout if they knew?
Edward
EAB/CB
statistical links regarding the ill effects of alcohol almost completely ignored in the media today:
http://www.cspinet.org/booze/516state.html
http://www.crossingsrecovery.com/pages/factson.html
| All Writings and Images Copyright © Court Bennett 2010 |
courtbennett:bigalcohol
 | |  | |  |
 | |  |