Advertising

Advertising Downturn Bites the Media

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

The terror attacks have made what was already a severe advertising downturn even worse for cash-strapped publications. Advertisers are taking advantage of the downturn by nibbling away at editorial independence, asking for more marketing freebies, better placement and bigger discounts. Wall Street Journal reporter Matthew Rose describes how the Ford Motor Company pressured Rolling Stone publisher Rob Gregory to offer free publicity for a music tour promoting the Ford Focus.

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Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2001
Topics: 
Advertising
Media

The Mother of Ads Leads the Mother of PR Campaigns

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

PR Week profiles the career of Charlotte Beers, once nicknamed "the most powerful woman in advertising," now overseeing U.S. efforts to improve its image overseas. Beers made her name selling Uncle Ben's rice products before going to work for ad agencies including J. Walter Thompson, Tatham-Lair & Kudner and Ogilvy & Mather.

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Main Source: 
PR Week, November 26, 2001
Topics: 
Advertising
Public Relations
U.S. Government

What Happens When Drug Dealers Advertise?

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

The 50 most heavily advertised drugs last year accounted for nearly half the increase in prescription drug spending, according to a new study from the National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation. Sales of drugs rose 18.8% to $132 billion last year, with 47.8% coming from increases in the sales of the 50 most heavily advertised drugs. Merck & Co. was one of the biggest advertisers, spending $160 million to advertise Vioxx -- more than Anheuser-Busch spent flogging Budweiser.

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Main Source: 
Advertising Age, November 21, 2001
Topics: 
Advertising

Corporate Advertisers Dictate News Content

Submitted by John Stauber on

How much is your local TV news influenced by the people who buy ads? In a survey of 118 news directors around the country, more than half, 53 percent, reported that advertisers pressure them to kill negative stories or run positive ones. The pressure to do puff pieces about sponsors occurs "constantly," "all the time," "everyday," "routinely," and "every time a sales person opened his/her mouth," news directors reported.

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Main Source: 
Project for Excellence in Journalism
Topics: 
Advertising
Journalism

Bristol-Myers Partners with Hollywood to Push Pravachol

Submitted by John Stauber on

Cholesterol lowering drugs are a ten billion dollar per year market and Bristol-Myers wants a boost to gain market share for its drug Pravachol. To do so it has partnered with Hollywood, dumping a large contribution into the non-profit Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to enlist celebrities in advertisements subtly pushing Pravachol. The EIF tells the New York Times that the ads are not really ads at all, but a public service. The campaign will include celebrity interviews on talk shows and brochures in doctor's offices and pharmacies.

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Main Source: 
New York Times
Topics: 
Advertising
Arts / Culture
Health

US PR War, Snagged in Mixed Messages, Readies Celebrity Ads

Submitted by John Stauber on

The Bush administration is launching a major PR offensive this week to sell its Afghanistan bombing campaign to Muslims, and top US PR coordinator Charlotte Beers is working on a TV and advertising campaign to be aired abroad that "could feature American celebrities." However, the US is already tripping over mixed messages, preparing the citizenry at home for a long bloody conflict, while Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld assures foreign leaders and media that the war "might be over in a matter of months," just what they want to hear.

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Main Source: 
New York Times
Topics: 
Advertising
Public Relations
War / Peace

"Eat Out, Boost Economy" Says Restaurant Association

Submitted by Laura Miller on

The National Restaurant Association has hired Alexandria, Va.-based Smith & Harroff for an ad campaign to encourage Americans to dine out as a way to boost the economy, the food service industry, and as a return to daily life after the September 11 attacks reports O'Dwyer's PR Daily. The restaurant industry says it has lost business and has had to lay off workers as a result of the attacks. Premiering October 23 in U.S. dailies, the "Help America Turn the Tables" campaign promotes the restaurant industry as a "$1 trillion 'cornerstone' of the U.S.

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Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, October 24, 2001
Topics: 
Advertising

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