PMI Launches Online Hub Offering Inspiration to ‘Unsmokers’

LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 13, 2019-- Philip Morris International (PMI) today launches unsmokeyourworld.com, a new online hub for those that want to unsmoke themselves or their loved ones, their communities, or the world. The website aims to provide an inspiring and engaging place to help people kick-start their smoke-free journeys. The best way to unsmoke is to quit cigarettes and nicotine completely. For adult smokers that don’t the next best option is to switch to a better alternative.

A new survey conducted by Povaddo, commissioned by PMI, shows the potential to improve personal and social relationships by quitting cigarettes. Almost three-quarters—71 percent—of nonsmokers who are in a relationship with a smoking partner said they have had disagreements with their partner because he/she smokes cigarettes. The results showed even higher levels of disagreement in Israel, Italy and Russia, with 80 percent or more stating they have argued with their partner over smoking.

Have you ever had a disagreement or argument with your partner or spouse because he/she smokes cigarettes?
Yes			Russia		U.K.		U.S.		Hong Kong		Israel		Italy
			82%		63%		63%		67%		80%		87%
			Japan		Mexico		Australia		Brazil		Denmark		Germany
			55%		77%		68%		72%		56%		55%
Base: former and never smokers with a partner that smokes

Smokers, however, were less likely to recognize the impact that smoking has on their relationships with loved ones, with just, on average, 36 percent of them acknowledging that smoking has caused arguments with their loved ones.

My smoking causes arguments with loved ones:
Strongly/ Somewhat agree								Russia								U.K.								U.S.								Hong Kong								Israel								Italy
								38%								32%								32%								42%								43%								43%
								Japan								Mexico								Australia								Brazil								Denmark								Germany
								22%								43%								25%								62%								8%								22%
Base: current and occasional smokers. Figures have been summed due to rounding

“This research shows the scale of the task ahead to help smokers understand the positive impact that unsmoking could have on their relationships,” said Jacek Olczak, Chief Operating Officer, PMI. “We believe that this type of insight should be made known to smokers so they can engage in a conversation and understand the benefits of getting behind the #unsmoke movement.”

Aiming to unify communities toward a smoke-free world, PMI’s unsmokeyourworld.com is an online hub where adult smokers and those that care about them can discover more about ways to unsmoke. The site shares stories of unsmoke heroes describing their smoke-free journeys and encourages readers to share their own stories.

Olczak continues: “Change comes from communities uniting behind a positive conversation, which is why we have created this place for people to come together and hear each other’s stories for inspiration. This is an important new tool for adult smokers and those who care about them so they can access resources to inspire them to leave cigarettes behind.”

Interactive elements engage readers to understand the facts behind unsmoking and allows them to publicly get involved. Users can add an ‘Unsmoke Your World’ overlay to any image they want so they can show support on social media. They can also download and share a selection of gifs to celebrate unsmoke successes.

Since April 2019, over 115,000 digital #unsmokeyourworld actions have taken place across the globe—ranging from individuals supporting the campaign on social media to engaging with digital content. PMI’s is calling for people to take action and create a strong movement to an unsmoked world. For more information visit, unsmokeyourworld.com.

About the Povaddo Survey
This survey was carried out 24 April-6 May, 2019, by Povaddo, a leading public opinion research firm, on behalf of Philip Morris International. The survey fielded a total of 16,099 online interviews among general population adults 21-74 years of age across 13 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, United Kingdom and United States). The survey carries an overall margin of error of +/- 1% at the 95 percent confidence interval.

About #Unsmokeyourworld
PMI is transforming its business and increasing awareness of the urgent need to become smoke-free as well as awareness of better alternatives for smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke. PMI is producing smoke-free products that are a better choice for smokers than continued cigarette smoking and can benefit public health.

#Unsmoke is a PMI initiative to speed up an historic change in public health. Through the #unsmoke movement, we want to bring together a community of people who can accelerate this change by becoming advocates of the message that for smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, there are better alternatives to choose from.

#Unsmokeyourworld is a global conversation that inspires human stories—for the people, by the people.

About Philip Morris International
Delivering a Smoke-Free Future Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the U.S. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. For more information, please visit http://www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

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Source: Philip Morris International

David Fraser
Philip Morris International Media Office
T. +41 (0)58 242 4500
E. david.fraser@pmi.com