No New DTC Ad Restrictions
Drug manufacturers are applauding the FDA's latest 'green light' position on broadcast direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads. The FDA last month said it would not place any additional major restrictions on DTC ads while conducting a two-year probe of the ads' influence on public health.
The two-year evaluation assesses whether the ads have informed or misled consumers or put extra pressure on doctors to prescribe the medications promoted in the campaigns.
So far, the FDA says there is no overwhelming evidence of harm when drug manufacturers bypass doctors and directly promote their products to consumers, who feel the ads are an important source of health information.
Last month, the FDA issued this advice to DTC advertisers, which most companies are already following:
- Include a toll-free telephone number in the commercials.
- Refer to a print ad or product brochure that will provide more detailed information about the drug.
- Refer to a healthcare provider and provide and Internet address.
Pharmaceutical companies are spending major bucks to talk directly to consumers. From March 1998 to March 1999, drug manufacturers spent $1.53 billion on DTC campaigns.
(FDA, http://www.fda.gov)
Kellogg Launches Fundraising Effort Using Hospital Patients
Last month, Kellogg's Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes) and Rooster (Froot Loops) handed out free cereal to patients of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) to kick off its "Kids with Courage" fundraising campaign for the hospital. This is the first fundraising effort the cereal manufacturer has participated in with the hospital.
Three CHP patients, who personify kids with courage, are featured on boxes of Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops. They survived potentially life-threatening situations, including:
- Kate Berry, a six-year-old, who fell out of a two-story window and survived a coma;
- Carlton Akers, a 14-year-old, who suffered two chipped vertebrae and a broken collarbone as the result of a bicycle accident; and
- David Grassi, an 11-year-old, who had a fractured skull and brain swelling as the result of a baseball injury.
For each box top that is collected during the campaign, Kellogg's will donate 10 cents to CHP. The fundraising goal is at least $50,000, says Dean Walters, a CHP spokesperson.
(CHP, Dean Walters, 412/692-5016)
HMO Accommodates Last-Minute Vaccination Request
Earlier this summer, California's state health department appealed to Health Net, a large area HMO, to get word out quickly about a new law requiring all students entering the seventh grade to have two important vaccinations. Health Net accommodated that last-minute request by plugging the vaccination requirements in its Medicaid newsletter that reaches 190,000 people. Health Net had to kill one of its stories to run the vaccination piece, says Brad Kieffer, Health Net's PR manager. The messages reminded parents that seventh-graders must have begun receiving the first of three hepatitis B vaccinations and a second vaccination for the measles.
(Health Net, Brad Kieffer, 818/6766833)
Integrate Your Brand Identity
The industry's recent mergers have placed increasing pressure on healthcare marketers to develop a consistent brand identity across expanding networks. A new Web-based tool, identityManager, makes this integration process smoother. Developed by Monigle Associates, the identityManager software centralizes an organization's identity standards with a library of resources like templates, signage and logo files.
The online branding templates allow marketers to download images and develop customized marketing materials like brochures, banners and other promotional items. Administrators also can use the software to create business cards, letterhead and faxes.
The cost of the software can range from $30,000 to $100,000, depending on company size. The identity integration process takes about 90 days.
(identityManager software, Mike Reinhardt, 303/388-9358, http://www.identitymanager.com )