Hooray for advertising!

Insight on the News, Dec 17, 2001 by Donna De Marco

Intel and Altoids are the latest companies to lend themselves to the American Advertising Federation's ongoing "Great Brands" campaign, joining Coca-Cola, Sunkist, Energizer and Anheuser Busch. "The mission is to reinforce to corporate America that advertising really helps business and helps establish brand identity," says Mary Hilton, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based federation, which represents the advertising industry.

For instance, an ad featuring a Coca-Cola bottle replaces the Coke brand name with the word "advertising," and copy that reads, "The secret formula revealed." Similarly, the latest Intel ad reads, "It's what makes computers more powerful."

The overall campaign, which will run through December 2003, is aimed at chief executives and operating officers -- those who are responsible for establishing and maintaining advertising budgets. The full-page ads, created by Carmichael Lynch Inc. in Minneapolis, have appeared in national newspapers such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as magazines such as Fortune, Advertising Age and Adweek. All the media space is donated, some $4 million worth so far.

The "Great Brands" campaign is even more relevant now than ever before, Hilton says. In times of economic slowdown, advertising and marketing budgets are one of the first things to be trimmed or eliminated as cost-cutting measures. "In good times and in bad, advertising still needs to be invested in as part of a successful business model," says Hilton.

DONNA DE MARCO WRITES for Insight's SISTER PUBLICATION, THE WASHINGTON TIMES.