Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Mar 10 1992 Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 05:44:45 EST Message-ID: 03-10 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update March 10, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SURGEON GENERAL ATTACKS OLD JOE: Surgeon General Antonia Novello and the American Medical Association Monday demanded that Camel cigarettes stop using its "Old Joe" cartoon character because of its appeal to children. They also urged retailers, publishers and billboard companies to reject "Old Joe" advertising. The Old Joe Camel cartoon ads have been the target of criticism since their introduction in 1988. REYNOLDS DEFENDS `OLD JOE': R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camels, said "We reject the notion that advertising leads to initiation of smoking." Studies published last December in the Journal of the American Medical Association found more than half of 229 children aged 3 to 6 recognized "Old Joe" as a cigarette ad. The studies also suggested Camel is the brand of choice for underage smokers. CLIO PROMOTES NEW IMAGE: The Clio Awards, thoroughly disgraced last year but now under new management, is trying to polish its image with an advertising campaign. The wry ads, running in industry journals Advertising Age and Adweek, feature other famous flameouts like George Armstrong Custer and promise: "You haven't heard the last of the Clio Awards." (For more, see special Clio package below.) NEW NBC SERIES WINS TIME PERIOD: NBC's new political satire, "The Powers That Be," won its time period handily Saturday, losing just one share point from its lead-in, "The Golden Girls," in overnight ratings from 27 markets. "Powers" scored a 13.5 rating:24 share, beating CBS' "Beverly Hills Cop II" (9.4:16), ABC's repeat of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (7.8:13) and Fox's "Cops" (7:14). ESPN PLANS SPINOFF NETWORK: Mediaweek reports that Capital Cities:ABC and Hearst have given the go-ahead to spinoff an ad-supported cable TV network from ESPN. The new channel, likely to use channel compression technology, could be formally announced at May's National Cable TV Association conference in Dallas, insiders familiar with ESPN's plans said. The new channel's programming is expected to emphasize sports news. `THIRTYSOMETHING' RETURNS WITH FLAIR: A five-hour "thirtysomething"-fest on Lifetime last Tuesday led to a whopping 1.2 rating in its regular 11 p.m. timeslot on Wednesday night, according to Mediaweek. That's 71 percent better than the show "Spencer for Hire" at the same time a week earlier. The show also scored well with women 18 to 49. Since its 1984 launch, Lifetime has targeted women with its programming. HANES SIGNS RASHAD AND ALT: Adweek reports that "Cosby Show"-star Phylicia Rashad and supermodel Carol Alt will appear in new Hanes Her Way ads. The women are a first for Hanes, which until now has used jock endorsers like Joe Montana and Michael Jordan. Client officials said Rashad and Alt were signed because they are "people American women admire and respect." The ads begin airing this month. CBS SHIFTS NCAA SPOTS: CBS has shifted one 30-second commercial from pregame and one from halftime into the action portion of all games in the NCAA basketball tournament. CBS says there is no increase in overall commercial load and there is no change in pricing. Advertisers are in a rotation throughout the tournament and will now get more spots during the action. MILLER ADS TARGET WOMEN: Mediaweek reports that Miller Brewing Company will break a print-only advertising campaign, targeting women beer-drinkers for Genuine Draft Light, in April editions of Glamour, Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Shape and Self. The ads, featuring women participating in occupations and active sports, also will run in May and June issues of the magazines. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CLIOS: CLIOS ARE TRYING TO RECOVER: The Clios, considered the ad industry's Oscars, crashed and burned last fall when the awards ceremony for TV ads was canceled due to lack of money. At the ceremony for radio and print ads, the audience - angry that a complete list of winners couldn't be found -stormed the stage and carried off statuettes, giving the awards program a bad image. A new ad campaign will try to change this. CLIO ADS MOCK FAILURE: In addition to the initial George Armstrong Custer ad, future Clio ads will mock failure, showing Amelia Earhart and Harry Houdini, who promised his wife he would contact her from beyond the grave. "It's all right to be a little irreverent and make fun of the comeback," says Dennis Frankenberry of Milwaukee ad agency Frankenberry, Laughlin and Constable, which created the ads. RATNY PREDICTS QUICK RECOVERY: Magazine publisher Ruth Ratny bought the Clio name in October from Clio Awards Enterprises president Bill Evans, who was blamed for the collapse of the awards show. "It's going to take a year or two" to restore the awards, Ratny says. "But it might not. The Clios are popular." Clio entry forms were sent last week to 6,600 ad agencies. CLIOS ARE STILL DESIRABLE: Creative director Tom Cordner of Team One Advertising, who is on Ratny's advisory board, says "They're going to have to reinvent themselves." For one thing, many agencies are entering fewer awards shows to save money. The Clios fee is $100 per entry. But even a tarnished Clio still glitters, Cordner says. "They may have complaints about it, but everybody wants one." (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Mickey McLean. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM