Marketing

Drug Industry Spins Medical Journals Through Ghostwriters

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"Hundreds of articles in medical journals claiming to be written by academics or doctors have been penned by ghostwriters in the pay of drug companies," the Observer reports. "The journals, bibles of the profession, have huge influence on which drugs doctors prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. But The Observer has uncovered evidence that many articles written by so-called independent academics may have been penned by writers working for agencies which receive huge sums from drug companies to plug their products.

No
Main Source: 
Observer (UK), December 7, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Health
Marketing
Science

Radio Fraudcasting

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Radio listeners tuning into disk jockey Jeff Kovarsky on Dallas, Texas radio station KKMR in late 2000 could hear him extolling a magical weight-loss remedy. iIt helped me lose 36 pounds," Kovarsky said. iI ate so much over Thanksgiving, I still have turkey burps. But thanks to Body Solutions, I keep the weight off and now I'm ready for Christmas. So, bring it on, Grandma. The honey-baked ham, the apple pie, the Christmas cookies.

No
Main Source: 
Texas Observer, December 5, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Health
Marketing
Media

Industry Hopes to Censor Ads on Hazards of Infant Formula

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Federal officials have softened a national advertising
campaign to promote breastfeeding after complaints from two
companies that make infant formula, according to several
doctors and nurses who are helping the government with the
effort. After the two companies [Mead Johnson and Abbott] and the top officials of the American Academy of Pediatrics complained to federal health
officials, the government decided to eliminate spots
discussing the risk of leukemia and diabetes in babies not

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, December 4, 2003
Topics: 
Advertising
Corporations
Health

Pushing the Brain's "Buy Button"

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

Commercial Alert and prominent psychology experts sent a letter today to Emory University President James Wagner, requesting that Emory stop conducting neuromarketing experiments on human subjects. Neuromarketing is a controversial new field of marketing that maps the brain's activation responses in order prod desires for particular products.

No
Main Source: 
Commercial Alert, December 1, 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Marketing

The 9/11 President Launches His First TV Ad

Submitted by John Stauber on

President Bush's popularity skyrocketed after 9/11 as the country naturally rallied around its leadership. Bush announced that his war on terror would define his presidency and the 2004 Republican convention will be held in New York city as close as possible to the third anniversary of 9/11. Now, the New York Times reports that the Republican Party is launchiing "its first advertisement of the presidential race, portraying Mr. Bush as fighting terrorism while his potential challengers try to undermine him with their

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, November 21, 2003
Topics: 
Advertising
Terrorism
Politics
U.S. Government

"Transpertainment" Comes to Las Vegas

Submitted by John Stauber on

Nextel Communications "is becoming a principal sponsor of a monorail system that is scheduled to start serving Las Vegas in January, underwriting the branding of the
Convention Center stop as well as one of nine four-car trains with the Nextel name, logo and colors. ... Coca-Cola is also negotiating with the Las Vegas Monorail

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, November 18, 2003
Topics: 
Marketing

Newman's Own Boosts McDonald's

Submitted by Laura Miller on

Faced with the nation's growing waistline and flat sales in recent years, fast-food restaurants are relying on new products and PR to help improve their image and their profit. "Mike Donahue, VP, US communications and customer satisfaction for McDonald's, notes that PR pioneered McDonald's integrated marketing push on its salads," PR Week writes. "The company aligned its salads with Paul Newman's Newman's Own brand of salad dressings, offering those dressings for its new product. Newman's Own is highly regarded in the world of natural and organic foods.

No
Main Source: 
PR Week, November 10, 2003
Topics: 
Corporate Social Responsibility
Marketing

Street Poet As Stealth Huckster for Nissan

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Nissan Motors is planting actors in movie theaters to
perform live commercials before the start of showings of
'The Matrix Revolutions' in an effort to expose jaded,
skeptical consumers to advertising by masking it as
something else. The brief in-person pitches feature actors scattered among
the ticket-buying audience who stand and deliver lines that
evoke the words spoken by poets at events known as slams or
jams. Their performances are timed to accompany a
commercial the audience sees on the movie screen, which

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, November 6, 2003
Topics: 
Guerrilla Marketing
Corporations

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