Sponsorship of the LGBT parade by the tobacco industry and promotion of its heated tobacco product from the perspective of critical discourse analysis

Abstract

Brazil has advanced in tobacco control actions, with a significant decline in the prevalence of tobacco use. However, it is essential to identify more vulnerable populations, such as LGBT persons. This study aimed to analyze the discursive production sustaining the search for support and penetration of the tobacco industry among the LGBT population, taking the sponsorship of Philip Morris Brasil to the LGBT parade in São Paulo in 2019. We employed the critical discourse analysis of a report published on a blog. The analysis of the piece points to the use of vocabularies such as diversity, inclusion, modernity, and innovation, which concern the LGBT cause and the launch of its new product. The text conveys a high commitment and a courteous tone, using discursive resources that associate the company with technical and behavioral innovation ideas. It communicates intertextually with regulatory bodies about introducing its new product in the Brazilian market (prohibited in Brazil). It uses different ideological operators, such as the euphemism of the smokeless or smoke-free future. The work shows a tobacco industry strategy to promote its heated product while supporting LGBT cause and promoting a positive corporate image.