The Leader as the Face of a Crisis: Philip Morris' CEO's Speeches During the 1990s

Abstract

This research investigated Philip Morris' crisis communication management strategies during the 1990s through the study of its CEO's speeches. This analysis explored the company's maneuvers to camouflage controversies in acceptable social expectations. Pairing framing theory with centering resonance analysis, this research found 3 distinct frames: profitable multinational (1994–1996), litigation target (1997–1998), and corporate good citizen (1999–2001). Avoidance of talk about health issues indicated the company's strategic adaptation to a shifting legal and public opinion climate, as it sought to authenticate its right to do business by reframing the notion of corporate responsibility away from healthy products and toward high-price philanthropy.

Notes

¹The first LTDT search resulted in 205 entries; after discarding duplicate documents, the dataset totaled 67 different speeches. A list of the speeches’ dates, events, and main public addressed is available from the authors.

²Two speeches from 1994, 12 speeches from 1995, 20 speeches from 1996, 5 speeches from 1997, 9 speeches from 1998, 4 speeches from 1999, 5 speeches from 2000, and 10 speeches from 2001 were analyzed.

³Because of space restrictions, maps of all but one of the 67 speeches are summarized, rather than represented graphically; however, they are available from the first author.