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S E C R E T LIMA 001473 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2016 
TAGS: PROG PREL ETRD PE
SUBJECT: PERUVIAN PRIVATE SECTOR GEARS UP FOUR-WEEK 
INFORMATION CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE THE PERU TRADE PROMOTION 
AGREEMENT 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Alexander Margulies.  Reason: 1.4(d) 
. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (S)  A marketing consultant hired by top Peruvian 
business sector leaders to design and implement a four-week 
public information campaign to promote the Peru Trade 
Promotion Agreement (PTPA) provided a briefing to the 
Ambassador and Emboffs on 4/6.  The consultant explained that 
the campaign will begin on 4/25 and run through 5/19.  It 
will be based on the slogan "TLC Ya" ("FTA Now") and has been 
fashioned to address the public's ignorance and 
misperceptions of the PTPA, based on insights obtained from a 
private poll carried out by the Apoyo consultancy and 30 
focus groups run throughout Peru among the C-E sectors 
(lower-middle class through destitute - 88 percent of the 
population).  "TLC Ya" will feature TV spot ads, TV and radio 
news reports and newspaper coverage.  The consultant 
emphasized that there is little understanding among the 
Peruvian public of the potential impact of the Andean Trade 
Promotion and Drug Eradication Act's (ATPDEA) termination, 
and noted that addressing that knowledge gap would be a key 
focus of the first week of the campaign. He strongly 
recommended that the USG continue to send clear signals that 
ATPDEA will not be extended so that the Peruvian general 
population understand that it is PTPA or nothing.  He said 
that the private sector has concluded that the second round 
of presidential elections will not come until May 28 at the 
earliest, and perhaps as late as June 4, which would put a 
Peruvian Congressional vote on the PTPA in June.  These 
assumptions shaped the thinking on timing of their campaign. 
End Summary 
 
------------------------------------ 
POLL AND FOCUS GROUPS RAISE CONCERNS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (S)  The consultant provided the Ambassador with a copy 
of Apoyo poll results dated 3/19, which showed only 28 
percent approval of the PTPA, with a 32 percent disapproval 
rating nationwide, and 35 percent answering they did not know 
about the accord.  (Comment: The Apoyo poll puts support 
substantially lower than Datum polls which register 53 
percent approval.  We are analyzing why this is so.  End 
Comment.)  30 focus groups were carried out in Lima, Piura, 
Chiclayo, Arequipa and Huancayo, consisting of men and women 
18-60 years of age, all from the C-E social groups, which 
revealed the following lines of thought: 
 
--  Great lack of understanding of the PTPA:  Although many 
participants said they had heard of the PTPA, few could 
describe accurately what it really is.  Descriptions ran from 
a relatively accurate &an agreement between two governments 
(but without details) to an agreement for Peruvians to export 
only to the US. 
 
--  Logic of the Loser:  Many participants felt "little Peru" 
had no chance when dealing with the US.  There was a feeling 
expressed that the US would buy up the best products and 
leave only the lowest quality for the Peruvian domestic 
market.  "The US will buy up our products to re-sell them to 
other countries," was another line of thought. 
 
--  The US has a secret agenda:  "The US will never lose" and 
they are going to take our raw materials and send us more 
expensive finished goods," were common complaints. 
 
--  Why such a hurry?  There was widespread questioning of 
why the Toledo government was in such a hurry to sign the 
PTPA, with the lingering suspicion that Toledo was pushing 
for ratification so he could get a commission from the USG 
before he left office. 
 
--  The good with the bad:  "We want to know the truth, the 
good with the bad," was one strong sentiment identifiable in 
 
 
the focus groups. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
ADDRESSING CONCERNS AND CONSEQUENCES OF NO PTPA 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (S)  The consultant explained that his recommended 
publicity campaign would use TV ads already produced by the 
Foreign Trade Ministry (MINCETUR), which have not been aired 
because of restrictions on GOP advertising during the 
election campaign restrictions.  The MINCETUR TV spots show 
export success stories, including small and 
micro-enterprises.  The private sector ad campaign will go 
beyond them to inform the public about the details of the 
PTPA and the consequences of ATPDEA ending without a new, 
replacement agreement.  The consultant said that the MINCETUR 
TV ads were good, but based on a mistaken premise that most 
Peruvians understood the basic concept of a free trade 
agreement.  Thus, they focus only on the benefits of the 
PTPA, and do not address suspicions and gaps in 
understanding.  Because of this, the ads are often perceived 
as manipulative and not convincing.  The low public 
acceptance of the Peruvian Government and business sector 
also led test audiences to discount the MINCETUR message. 
 
¶4.  (S)  The consultant continued that the business sector's 
nationwide campaign would: 
 
--  Be run in the name of the CENI, the private sector group 
formed by MINCETUR to monitor and participate in the PTPA 
negotiations. 
 
--  Feature more rural spokespersons, to identify with the C, 
D and E social groups and avoid being labeled as a Lima/big 
business effort. 
 
--  Use the slogan "TLC Ya!" to emphasize that the PTPA is 
needed now, in order to head off problems when the ATPDEA 
ends. 
 
--  Include considerable background on ATPDEA and why it is 
essential to have a replacement agreement in place when 
ATPDEA ends.  "There is no return to a status quo ante, there 
will just be no trade preferences." 
 
--  Focus on TV and radio news and weekly magazine programs, 
because they have reach and credibility.  The owners of the 
four largest TV networks were in favor of the PTPA and 
willing to help, as were most of their key on-air 
journalistic personalities.  The TV news and weekly magazine 
programs would feature information on the PTPA several times 
a week. 
 
--  RPP radio, Peru,s largest radio network, would run daily 
6-7 minute morning programs with basic information and 
interviews with local export success stories.  Local radio 
stations in major cities would also run daily morning "TLC 
2006" programs with about 12-15 minutes of information and 
views on the PTPA. 
 
--  Business groups would place pro-PTPA ads in newspapers 
with large readership in the B, C, D and E social groups, and 
pamphlets would be produced and distributed targeting the 
same social groups. 
 
¶5.  (S)  The consultant said that the campaign needed only 
two things from the USG and the Embassy: 
 
--  Continued high-level USG statements that ATPDEA will 
definitely end on December 31, 2006, and that there is no way 
it would be extended. 
 
--  Assistance in arranging interviews for Peruvian TV in 
Washington with USG spokespersons, Senators and members of 
Congress to repeat the ATPDEA-is-ending messaged. 
 
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COMMENT 
 
 
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¶6.  (S)  The private sector ad campaign will play a vital 
role in generating public acceptance for Peru's ratification 
of the PTPA.  It can also exercise positive influence in the 
ongoing presidential election campaign, where 
ultra-nationalist "outsider" candidate Ollanta Humala, who 
opposes the PTPA, will contend in a second-round run-off with 
either Lourdes Flores or Alan Garcia, both of whom support 
the free trade agreement with the U.S.  We agree with the 
consultant that a consistent USG position that ATPDEA will 
end on 12/31/06 is essential to maintain momentum for PTPA 
ratification here.  PAS is providing assistance in arranging 
the interviews requested for the campaign.  END COMMENT. 
STRUBLE