Pagefield
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Pagefield, Tobacco Tactics, updated 02 December 2024, accessed 28 January 2026.
Pagefield is a UK public relations (PR) and communications company, set up in 2010.12
In June 2024, Pagefield was acquired by PPHC, a “government relations and public affairs holding company”.3 PPHC states that Pagefield operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary.3
Relationship with the Tobacco Industry
Contracted by JTI
In 2024, JTI was listed as a client of Pagefield in the UK lobbying register.4
Working with British American Tobacco
In July 2020, The Guardian reported that Pagefield had a contract with British American Tobacco (BAT) to promote its newer nicotine and tobacco products in the UK. The PR firm sent press releases to local media critical of council stop-smoking services which initially did not mention that BAT was the client.5
Lobbying register entries show that BAT was a client of Pagefield between July and September 2019,6 Pagefield consultant Jack Crone, who joined the company in 2019,7 was listed on the Pagefield website as providing “media relations expertise across a range of clients including Starling, BAT and Zego”.8
The company also worked with BAT previously.910
Image 1: Screengrab of List of Clients on Pagefield’s website, including Philip Morris International (accessed February 2019)11“Helping Distrusted Companies Gain Acceptance”
Pagefield held a multi-year contract with Philip Morris International (PMI) (see Image 1), which started in 2014 when the company was commissioned by PMI “to help lay the groundwork for the launch of IQOS”, PMI’s new heated tobacco product.12 The contract had ended by 2020.5
In May 2017, Pagefield won an industry award “Launching IQOS and Helping the Tobacco Giant Quit Smoking”.13
Reflecting on his work for PMI, Pagefield’s CEO, Oliver Foster, wrote:12
“Working for a tobacco company is always a contentious decision for agencies like ours, especially when the role involves reputation management. Too many consultancies – if they take on that work – are only too happy to conceal the work they are doing. We did the opposite from day one of our three year partnership with Philip Morris’s Reduced Risk business. Up on our website went the Philip Morris logo. Three years later and as recently as last night, we won an international PR industry award for our work launching the groundbreaking IQOS – a reduced risk, heat-not-burn product which is 95% less harmful than standard cigarettes”.
Fosters’ claim that IQOS is 95% less harmful than cigarettes is not supported by independent evidence.1415
“Lessons” from IQOS Campaign
Foster identified three key elements to the IQOS campaign that could be “applicable to other distrusted companies planning to launch a significant, transformative, new product or business”:12
- “Developing a robust argument”. Foster says that it is key to have “a position which is designed to convey or convince, with evidence in support”.
- “Purpose (or values) behind the transformation”. According to Foster, this was the first time PMI was prepared to commit to a smoke-free future, which “made for a more captivating story”.
- “Power of transparency”. Foster says that they pushed Philip Morris to be as open as possible, and “what better way to do this than giving The Today programme full access to the story and Philip Morris’ headquarters and research and development centre in Switzerland”.
Affiliations
Pagefield has partnered with Scotland-based Halogen Communications.16 Halogen helped PMI oppose Plain Packaging in the UK and has lobbied on E-cigarettes.
TobaccoTactics Resources
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