Advertising

An ad for the prescription drug Zoloft asks: "Feeling sad? Anxious? Tired?" Zoloft is sold by Pfizer as a treatment for depression and other disorders. It is but one of many print and broadcast advertisements that pitch prescription drugs directly to consumers - a category of ads scrutinized last week at a hearing held by the Food and Drug Administration.

A new ad industry model for validating the effects of advertising is placing the onus on media to be responsible not just for delivering a message to consumers, but also to ensure consumers are attentive, are persuaded and actually respond to the ads they receive. The shift, part of a fundamental rethinking about the roles of advertising and media, has huge implications for how agencies plan and buy media and, ultimately, for how media companies sell their inventory.

Companies that have historically spent significant amounts on advertising, such as car manufacturers and telecommunications outfits, are stepping up their commitment to the Internet, according to a report released by Nielsen// NetRatings.

At first listen, the plan seems borderline delusional. After all, asking buyers and planners to forsake must-buys like The New York Times and Newsday in favor of shopping circulars is the kind of request that gets salespeople escorted out of the building by security guards. But two of Tri- State's marketing minions, advertising director Stacie Boering and media consultant Don Andrews, argue their case persuasively.

The company has unearthed the story of M. W. Heron, a bartender in New Orleans who created Southern Comfort in 1874. Brown-Forman is betting that Heron will help consumers develop a greater connection with the brand. The goal is to parlay consumer interest into an increase in sales and a national campaign for Southern Comfort, which Brown-Forman has brought to television for the first time.

Smokers will still find Winston and Doral cigarettes on store shelves across the country. They just won't be seeing them much anywhere else. As part of a huge effort to cut costs that includes the layoffs of 2,600 workers, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings said yesterday that it would jettison advertising and promotion efforts for the once-popular brands.

Borders Group has named Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Los Angeles, its agency for an estimated $15 million creative and media planning and buying account.

The Newspaper National Network (NNN) has hired a cable industry veteran as it prepares to expand from four to 15 the number of national ad categories it will target in an attempt to grab share from television, particularly cable.