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Philip Morris has hired Doner Cardwell Hawkins to handle an

international advertising brief aimed at positioning the global

conglomerate as a more socially responsible company.

The agency is understood to have won the project, which will be backed

by a substantial budget, after a competitive pitch against a number of

unnamed agencies.

The work is expected to break later in the year, and will span the full

range of Philip Morris' international business interests, which range

from its Kraft Foods subsidiary to its Marlboro tobacco brand and Miller

Brewing firm.

The corporate advertising campaign is likely to be one of the biggest

social responsibility-themed campaigns ever carried out on an

international basis.

Run at a pan-European level, the ads will aim to demonstrate the work

that Philip Morris is doing to improve its reputation.

Philip Morris declined to comment, while Doner Cardwell Hawkins was

unavailable for comment.

Earlier this year Philip Morris joined forces with rival tobacco

manufacturers JTI (Japan Tobacco International) and British American

Tobacco to launch an advertising campaign aimed at dissuading young

people from smoking.

Philip Morris was recently the target of a US ad campaign by

anti-corporate rule pressure group Adbusters featuring images of Kraft

and Miller brands above the strapline 'Why are you buying your food from

a tobacco company?'

COMMENT

Philip Morris' decision to launch a corporate social responsibility

campaign across all areas of its empire reflects a growing recognition

among multinational firms that if they fail to demonstrate ethical

behaviour in all areas of their business, controversy surrounding one

brand can lead to problems for others.

Shell and BT, too, are among the major companies keen to stress their

environmental and ethical credentials as integral parts of their

marketing activity.