Corporate Image and Public Health: An Analysis of the Philip Morris, Kraft, and Nestlé Websites

Abstract

Companies need to maintain a good reputation to do business; however, companies in the infant formula, tobacco, and processed food industries have been identified as promoting disease. Such companies use their websites as a means of promulgating a positive public image, thereby potentially reducing the effectiveness of public health campaigns against the problems they perpetuate. The author examined documents from the websites of Philip Morris, Kraft, and Nestlé for issue framing and analyzed them using Benoit's typology of corporate image repair strategies. All three companies defined the problems they were addressing strategically, minimizing their own responsibility and the consequences of their actions. They proposed solutions that were actions to be taken by others. They also associated themselves with public health organizations. Health advocates should recognize industry attempts to use relationships with health organizations as strategic image repair and reject industry efforts to position themselves as stakeholders in public health problems. Denormalizing industries that are disease vectors, not just their products, may be critical in realizing positive change.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, Grant 13KT-0081 and the National Cancer Institute, Grant 120138. The authors thank Patricia McDaniel, Irene Yen, and Barbara Laraia for commenting on previous drafts of this article.

Notes

*Expanded from Benoit (1997).

Note. Percentages do not add up to 100% because each document could use multiple strategies.