This story was featured on This American Life, episode 412 Act 3. I point this episode out for two reasons: 1. I love This American Life and 2. this episode highlights people, ideas, and things that are all striving to be remarkable.
At the threat of higher cigarette taxes, Philip Morris commissioned a study in the Czech Republic. This study was intended to show that smoking Czechs actually saved the government money. Philip Morris asserted that smokers died young, saving the government money on their long-term care. Philip Morris was creating a campaign to show the good side of death, or, the good side of poor health. To quote "because people die early you save money in elderly housing." They created a cost benefit analysis to support their product in an entire country. Good idea. Except, you can't say your product kills people and that their early death is a benefit. It just doesn't sit right.
Of course, this study got found out and Philip Morris had some 'splanin to do. They groveled and apolgized and said the study wasn't authorized, even if the data did support their product.
Then, anti-tobacco groups got a hold of this cost-benefit to society and government idea and ran with it. They came up with the notion that, a smoker's cost to society and their credit to society was about even. What anti-tobacco folks could figure in was the cost-benefit to the individual, which of course wound up in the cost column. No one wants to live 10 years less, and five of those last years are with lung cancer.
These findings, the cost to the individual, are now widely used in lobbying and advertising for anti-tobacco campaigns. And Philip Morris is quiet, while their idea gets used against them.
It's fascinating to think about the talent behind socially destructive products. It's more fascinating to think about what that talent could do behind socially responsible products. Sadly, it seems to be all about the benjamins.
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