by Wendy Melillo / with staff reports
Ad Week, Monday, 2/14/00
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Some of the American Legacy
Foundation's "ambush" ads have been rejected by CBS
and Fox Networks while the target, Philip Morris, is
considering legal action.
Network officials said they are concerned Legacy spots
such as "Body Bag," "Lie Detector" and "Shredder" are
either "morbid," "over-the-top" or go too far in attacking
Big Tobacco. CBS refused to air any of the three in their
current form, a representative said. Fox declined "Body
Bag," which shows corpses being pulled from a truck in
front of Philip Morris headquarters [Adweek, Feb. 7].
"Lie Detector" depicts teens carrying a lie-detector machine
"inside a major tobacco company" in an effort to get "at the
truth" about nicotine's addictiveness. It aired during the TV
show South Park last week.
Legacy officials said they continue to negotiate with the
networks. "Our ads hit the messages of nicotine addiction
and the health effects and social cost of tobacco," said
representative William Furmanski. "You know what, that
is a grim story."
Legacy agencies Arnold Communications and Crispin
Porter & Bogusky could not be reached.
Fox may be worried about corporate board relationships,
observers said. Philip Morris CEO Geoffrey Bible is a
board member of News Corp., which owns Fox. Rupert
Murdoch, CEO of News Corp., sits on Philip Morris' board.
Fox officials said the decision was based on content, not
board relationships.
When asked about legal action, a PM rep said, "We are
considering all of our options. We are very disappointed
that ALF has taken this approach."
NBC said negotiations are continuing with Legacy. ABC
has a policy of not discussing media buys.
source: Bill Godshall Announcement List
