EDICINE
Credits: Art direction Michael J. Lyons Interior book design Michael J. Lyons and Howard R. Roberts Text composition HRoberts Design Cover design Michael J. Lyons Calligraphy Tom Carnese Production Howard R. Roberts Editing by the Publication Committee of The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame Research John Kallir, William G. Castagnoli Text written by William G. Castagnoli Additional text written by Frank Hughes, John Kallir, and Ron Pantello Copyright ©1999, 2010 The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by: The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame 876 Oleander Street Boca Raton, FL 33486 ISBN: 0-9667793-0-4 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-68323 Printed in China
Contents Acknowledgments / vi Medical Advertising Hall of Fame Executive Committee / viii Foreword / xiii The Creative Product / 1 Creativity / 2 Copy Writers / 4 A rt Directors / 5 Account Management / 6 Branding / 7 The Client / 8 The Work / 9 The Story of Medical Advertising in America / 11 The 40’s / The 50's / 21 In-House Advertising Departments / 33 The 60's / 41 The 70's / 57 The 80's / 69 The 90's / 91 Medical Advertising Agency Founders Tree / 110 References / 112 Index / 113 v
Acknowledgments The People Who Created Medicine Avenue Medicine Avenue is made possible by the contribution of time and financial support from the members of the Executive Committee of the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame. The Publication Committee of the MAHF managed all activities concerning Medicine Avenue. Its members are William G. Castagnoli, Frank Hughes, John Kallir, Michael J. Fyons and Ron Pantello. The design of Medicine Avenue was created by Mr. Fyons. The introductory preface was written by Kallir, Hughes, and Pantello. Mr. Castagnoli served as overall coordinator and also researched and wrote the historical sections. The committee wishes to thank all those who contributed information, materials and guidance in putting the book together. Medicine Avenue would never have existed were it not for the foresight of John Kallir and Dick Jones in assembling and preserving the work of medical advertising's Golden Age—the boom years of the 1950's to 1960's. The industry owes them appreciative applause for compiling this archive and making it available. The book, likewise, would not have come to pass if Ron Pantello had not energetically proposed and championed it to the Executive Committee as an important activity for the MAHF in addition to its annual election and award dinner at which leaders of medical advertising are honored. Many persons supplied information on the history of medical advertising or facilitated our research: Mickey Smith opened the library of the Pharmacy School of the University of Mississippi to us. Brendon and Roderic Phibbs recalled family history, helping us reconstruct the early days of their father's agency, Harry C. Phibbs Advertising Co. Robert Kennett of the AMA assisted in leading us to the Dr. Morris Fishbein Papers at the University of Chicago. Bill Noonan enabled us to obtain IMS data from the past. Vernon Fewis of Medical Economics allowed us to seek out historic ads in their archive. Helping with names, dates, facts and perspectives on events were John Kallir, Joseph Stettler, Irwin Gerson, Ken Gurian, Steve Chappell, Mark Dresden, Bob Baldini, Irwin Ferner, James Dougherty, David Gideon, Rolf Rosenthal, Todd Mahony, Clay Warrington, Bob Buechert, Glenn DeSimone, Dick Jones, John Jones and Ron Wilson. Special thanks goes to Ina Kramer who made available materials from Rx Club yearbooks, and to Clark-O'Neill and Herb Day for their help in warehousing and distributing Medicine Avenue. And lastly, our appreciation to the medical agencies that submitted work for this retrospective of our business. Thank you, for seeing the value of preserving the heritage of medical advertising.
Medical Advertising Hall of Fame Executive Committee—1998 Ron Pantello Chairperson Lally McFarland & Pantello EURO RSCG Jed Beitler Sudler & Hennessey Daria Blackwell Dugan/Farley Morgan E. Cline Cline Davis <£ Mann Glenn DeSimone Medicus Group hiternational Tom Domanico FCB Healthcare M. James Dougherty McGraw-Hill Healthcare Information Group Philip T. Brady CornmonHealth USA John J. Fisher Corbett HealthConnect Sander A. Flaum Robert A. Becker EURO RSCG Irwin C. Gerson Lowe McAdams David Gideon Medical Marketing & Media Frank Hughes GHBM Healthworld Michael J. Fyons Lyons Lavey Nickel Swift C. Todd Mahony Integrated Communications Gavin A. Scorn Klemtner Advertising Harry A. Sweeney Jr. Dorland Sweeney Jones Fynn O'Connor Vos Grey Healthcare Ron Wilson Harrison Wilson
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Foreword The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame is pleased to present our first publication, Medicine Avenue: The Story of Medical Advertising in America. This book is dedicated to all the men and women who have and are applying their unique intellectual capital to the creation of responsible, creative healthcare advertising. The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 for the purpose of recording the history of medical advertising and to honor those individuals who have created this relatively young industry. As the early founders in the business have passed on or retired, it became evident that efforts were necessary to capture the culture of the industry before that culture was lost. Historically, the medical advertising business was comprised of a homogeneous group of professionals learning their craft on the job. Today's medical advertising business is composed of a heterogeneous group of professionals from varied backgrounds making a multi-disciplined contribution to our business. It is the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame's fervent belief that given this new diversity, it is time to capture the first words and pictures that made our industry great. It is with this in mind that the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame proudly presents Medicine Avenue: The Story of Medical Advertising in America. Ron Pantello Executive Committee Medical Advertising Hall of Fame
Medicine Avenue is a history and also a celebration of the creative product. The authors of this publication took it upon themselves to identify some of the most distinguished advertising of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's right up to present day. Undoubtedly we have overlooked some excellent work and apologize for such oversights but it was impossible for us to review all the work produced over the last 40 years. That said, what is presented is representative of the excellent work produced within our industry by some very talented people. We encourage others who choose to expand upon our efforts in future publications to be more inclusive.—R.P.
According to a famous copywriter, "Copy is the business of advertising." Of course, David Ogilvy meant print advertising, admitting that TV was not his chosen medium. Until recently, print was also our chosen medium. In fact, our only medium. The illustrations in this book have been selected for their "creativity." What made them creative? How do they differ from the creativity of consumer campaigns? Creativity is born from knowledge. Knowledge of our market, knowledge of the competition, product knowledge. That's basic. Then comes the giant leap! To translate this knowledge into vivid terms that will hold the viewer's attention. This leads us to positioning: a deliberate choice to stress certain product features, while
omitting or subordinating others. And it leads the creative team to search for the unexpected, for a "twist," or an analogy, be it verbal or visual. To quote that other giant of modern advertising, Bill Bernbach, "You can't bore the customer into buying your product!" It's hard to imagine now, but copy and art did not always work as a team. They proceeded on separate tracks, and art began where copy left off. As one veteran copywriter described it, his copy fell into a deep, dark hole; he only saw it again when it came back "illustrated" and laid out by an art director. It was Bernbach's agency that pioneered the concept of the copy-art team, later adopted with brilliant results by Sudler & Hennessey and other medical agencies —j.k.
hey come from all disciplines—English literature JL to pharmaceuticals, journalism to pre-med. But first of all they must be good writers, and that talent can be nourished and encouraged but never taught. The art of writing medical advertising requires knowledge about the product and the science behind it as well as the ability to give life to the data that renders an argument for the product both compelling and luminous, with words that are fresh and memorable. The art of writing medical advertising is especially difficult, given the medium. Unlike consumer advertising where you might be writing the only ad for a fountain pen in a magazine carrying ads for perfumes, cars, food, and clothes, in medical advertising we are often writing an ad for an antihypertensive to appear in a cardiology book in which most of the ads are for antihypertensives. So how does a writer make an ad stand out in such circumstances? The good writer goes in search of a product's quiddity, that which gives it distinctness. Then he seeks to capture that uniqueness in words and phrases that bring it to life, that strike a resonant chord in the reader, that illuminate. The best writing makes the reader say, "Yes, that's it." The product is validated (and the sale is made) because the truth, the reality of the product, comes off the page and into the reader's imagination.— EH.
good art director is subversive. He takes the expected image and twists it into something unexpected and in doing so, makes it unforgettable and part of our visual vocabulary. Anything less is mere decoration. But the image need not be bizarre or eccentric to provoke us or jar us. Instead of an asthmatic child on an examining table, the art director might show us the child with a tear on his cheek staring wistfully out the window, showing how a disease can affect a life. Because art directors do not think linearly, they are not bound by the same rigors of logic as the rest of us. An image can tell a story as well as words and often does so more tellingly, more inventively, more forcefully. The other obligation of an art director is design—the way a communication is placed on a page, the type chosen, the way space is divided between image and text. All the elements of design contribute to the power and recall of an ad. Attention to the smallest details of design is the hallmark of great art direction.—F.H.
The account executive is the linchpin between the client and the agency. He must have a unique combination of knowledge about marketing, sales, advertising, research and production to he effective. The account team is charged with representing the agency both creatively and strategically. This means they have many masters ... not an enviable position. Usually a "great" account person is a strong advocate of the creative product. Without such a love and passion for the creative work, the account person earns the derisive title of "suit" or worse "empty suit." The account team is not only charged with selling the agency's product but the important task of growing the agency's business. Finally, the account service department is the face of the agency and therefore must be both intellectually soimd and have a passion for advertising.—R.P.
Clients make products that do something. Advertising agencies turn products into brands. The process of branding creates a personality for the product that turns into an enduring image. Brands are the sum of the emotional feelings a customer has about a product. Branding is all about trust ... customers trust the quality, they trust the value because they trust the image. Customers trust that a brand says something about them that they want said about themselves. In today's complicated world of besotted advertising it is ever more difficult to create a brand. In fact, it takes a fully integrated communications approach to achieve an enduring brand. Notwithstanding the need for a total-communication approach, the advertising agency remains the safekeeper of the brand as it is the agency that, year in and out, makes the images that sustain the brand personality.—R.P.
A great ad needs a great client/' Good advertising challenges our preconceptions with new words, new images, and new ways of looking at the world. Good clients know this and are not scared off by the unfamiliar, the unsafe. If communications don't challenge received opinion, there is little hope of changing buying (or, in our case, prescribing) habits. A client who is convinced of the necessity of advertising, a client who expects tangible results from Inis advertising, a client who is proud of his advertising—that client will inspire his agency to superior performance. Fortunately, our industry has had plenty of great clients, as the ads in this volume demonstrate. The work in Medicine Avenue is the result, therefore, of collaborative efforts to which client and agency have contributed. Together with our clients, we have captured the imagination of physicians and turned a nascent industry into one of the most successful businesses in the world today — F.H./J.K.
The advertisements presented in Medicine Avenue are the result of effective collaboration among art, copy and account teams. Sometimes the collaboration can be difficult, even heated. But when the final result is breakthrough advertising that contains a big idea it is all worthwhile. In fact, it is this moment that makes all of us love the business of advertising. The following pages contain some of those moments. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.—R.P.
Information is fundamental to pharmaceuticals. Prescription products are inexorably linked to envelopes of information describing the conditions they alleviate, instructing on how and when they should be administered, and warning of precautions to be taken in their use. Because this information is so crucial, the scientific validity of the product messages, who receives them, and how they are delivered take on heightened significance regarding the public good are ultimately resolved by the interaction of medicine, industry, government, academia, the press, and the public. In the past 100 years, the role and character of medical advertising in the United States has been the subject of an ongoing debate among these parties. The history of medical advertising agencies—the subset of general advertising that for more than 75 years has specialized in promotional programs to professional audiences on prescription drugs—traces the movement of attitudes about communications on healthcare products.
Nothing illustrates this process more clearly than the decision made by organized medicine and pharmaceutical companies in 1905 that determined the character of advertising to physicians for most of the twentieth century. Underlying the pivotal event of 1905 was the competition between "patent medicines" and "ethical drugs." Patent medicines, or "nostrums," had secret formulas and registered tradenames; the scientifically oriented "ethical" revealed their ingredients. During the late 1800's, these two classes of drugs existed on an equal footing. The manufacturers of both classes advertised to physicians and also employed sales staffs to call on doctors and pharmacists. However, patent medicines also advertised heavily to the public. The American Medical Association was opposed to nostrums. AMA opposition was based in part on the patent medicine companies' practice of attacking the medical profession as a commercial conspiracy and touting their products as a substitute for medical care. But, in the early 1900's American medicine was not well organized and the education of doctors was uneven, so the AMA made little headway in its campaign against patent medicines. Physicians, in fact, were part of the problem. The poorly educated doctors of the day had contributed to the patent medicine boom in the late nineteenth century by prescribing them in great quantities for their patients. By 1905, however, with an assist from the muckraking journalists of the period who revealed the deceit and real dangers of patent medicines, the AMA began to make progress. The AMA Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry was established that year and began setting standards for drugs. The council's publication New and Non-Official Remedies soon became the Bible on drugs for physicians, and medical publications like The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) used it in deciding whether to accept advertising on a product.
T h e S t o r y o f M e d i c a l A dvertising i n A m e r i c a Paul Starr, in his scholarly study The Social Transformation of American Medicine, describes the new standards: To have a drug accepted, a company had to comply with theAMA council's rules. Not only were drugs forbidden whose manufacturers made false advertising claims or refused to disclose their drug’s composition, the council also would not approve any drug that was directly advertised to the public or whose "label, package, or circular" listed the diseases for which the drug was used. Companies would have a choice of markets: If they washed to advertise a drug to doctors they could not advertise it to the public or instruct laymen in its use.1 The core qualities of advertising drugs—message, media, and audience—had been restructured to hobble the marketing of patent medicines (soon to he further restricted by the establishment of the Food and Drug Administration through the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which created regulatory authority in the field). This restructuring also enhanced the authority of physicians to control the more potent and more effective pharmaceutical armamentarium that was emerging from advances in biology and chemistry. Faced with the choice put to them by the AMA, which for many years issued a seal of approval on pharmaceuticals, companies like Lilly, Upjohn, Wyeth and Parke-Davis, chose the "ethical" route and, based on a decision on advertising policy, the character of the pharmaceutical industry as we know it today was established. The scientifically directed companies instructed their advertising agencies or internal ad departments to conform to the AMA standards and by so doing, these agencies and departments became the forerunners of the medical advertising specialization. 13
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e Harry P hibbs and the AMA The first purely medical advertising agency appears to have heen founded in Chicago by Harry C. Phibbs in 1921. Phibbs had emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. via Canada. He was a multitalented man, having been an actor, artist, newspaper photographer and salesman for the drug firm Burroughs Wellcome where he advanced to middle management. He was working at an advertising agency in Chicago when, according to the family legend, he was approached by his friend Dr. Morris Fishbein (later a powerful force at the American Medical Association, but then in an editorial position on JAMA) who suggested he go out on his own targeting ethical drug accounts. Fishbein told Phibbs, according to son Roderick Phibbs, that the AMA would open doors for him because they were looking for an agency to provide "respectable scientific" advertising for their publications. Pliibbs started out with $200 working capital and his wife as his secretary/assistant. One of the first accounts of Harry C. Phibbs Advertising Co. was his former employer, Burroughs Wellcome. Other family members confirm that it was acknowledged fact at the Phibbs agency that "the AMA put Harry in business." To anyone familiar with Morris Fishbein's career—he was an energetic, self-confident activist of strong opinions—the idea that Fishbein could have helped Phibbs, a friend, by referring clients to him is extremely plausible. Phibbs and Fishbein remained close over the years. In a 1958 note to Fishbein from Phibbs, retained in the Fishbein archive at the University of Chicago, Phibbs notes their common membership in the "old pioneers party" and refers to their long association.2 Fishbein was on the front line in the AMA offensive in the 1920's against patent medicines and quackery. In an August 19, 1926, article in Printers' Ink, he displays attitudes consistent with his 14
T h e S t o r y o f M e d i c a l A dvertising i n A m e r i c a taking steps to encourage ethically oriented advertising. He wrote: This is why he (the physician) has been so unyielding in his fight on the quack, the cure-all, and the highly commercialized ''remedies’' that have abused advertising in their effort to reach the people. Because advertising has been the means through which these abuses have been put over, it was inevitable that the ethical physician should look with suspicion upon it as a force connected even remotely with medicine and be more or less prejudiced in his viewpoint. Fortunately, though, many leading advertisers and advertising agencies are already aware of the fact that the sale of commodities on the basis of scientific evidence will demand evidence that is established, and logic that is logical ... In the preparation of such copy, advertising writers have naturally been compelled to consult vast amounts of controversial medical literature leading up to the opinion held today, and then to submit the copy to recognized authorities, with a view to checking all of the claims made. It is this cooperation between modern advertising and modern organized medicine that will yield the best results for the public good.3 The Phibbs agency worked for major pharmaceutical firms for over 50 years. Harry Phibbs died in 1960. The company was sold to Frank J. Corbett in 1970. Chicago was the birthplace of another landmark medical agency. William Douglas McAdams, whose background was journalism and public relations, founded his agency there in 1926. In the beginning, McAdams was a general "package goods" agency with such accounts as Van Camps Beans and Mother's Oats. The link to the agency's eventual medical specialization was business from E.R. Squibb—advertising for cod liver oil. 15
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e Rx A dvertising M isses the Madison A venue Boom McAdams moved its operations to New York City in the 1930's, continuing with Squibb but also pursuing nonmedical accounts. In 1939, the decision was made to concentrate only on professional advertising to physicians. This decision expressed a faith in the future growth of medical advertising, for pharmaceutical promotion prior to World War II was a backwater compared to the boom that general advertising was experiencing. Buoyed by the expansionist 1920's and not markedly impaired by the depression years of the early 1930's, consumer advertising had soared. The combination of a plethora of heavily advertised consumer products (automobiles, household appliances, soaps, foods, cosmetics, and cigarettes) with effective media (color enhanced magazines, radio, outdoor, and newspapers) and fueled by a mass-marketing philosophy, created the giant Madison Avenue advertising agencies and hundreds of lucrative smaller shops around the country. In contrast, pharmaceutical promotion was an unglamorous trade exercise that stressed salesperson rapport and service to physicians and pharmacists. There was little product differentiation since the companies were, for the most part, marketing generic drugs. Journal advertising in a limited number of publications— JAMA, Medical Economics, Modem Medicine and a few state journals—was used for the few branded products and companies who did invest in institutional advertising. (Squibb was successful with a campaign that associated the company with a medical sage of Baghdad who pronounced that "quality is the priceless ingredient" and that it rested on the honesty and integrity of the manufacturer.) In the 1930’s, substantial advertising budgets did exist for "ethical OTC," branded non-Rx products that companies promoted to MDs and pharmacists, 16
T h e S t o r y o f M e d i c a l A dvertising i n A m e r i c a relying on sales from professional recommendation. These budgets, however, were the province of the manufacturer's advertising department, which often had its own creative staff, and in a way competed with agencies for the limited hinds available. Given sizable "in-house" operations, it is understandable that a number of founders of early medical agencies started their careers at these companies. A notable example is the presence of Arthur E. Sudler and Matthew J. Hennessey at the advertising department of E.R. Squibb in 1934 when Hennessey joined the company. In describing the nature of the work, Hennessey recalls, "In those days, the major emphasis was on what Squibb referred to as "home necessities"—Squibb Cod Liver Oil, Dental Cream, Milk of Magnesia, etc. The pharmaceutical specialties were not promoted then except through the detail force. Most of our activities were designing window displays, in-store materials and sales promotion for the sales force."4Although professional advertising was secondary, enough promotional business existed for Sudler to leave Squibb in 1936 to set up an art studio. Hennessey joined him and Squibb was one of their first clients. Another legendary name in medical advertising began on the company side. Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, after earning his medical degree from New York University, Arthur E. Sudler ( 1905— 1968) As a young man, Arthur Sudler aspired to be a fine arts painter. He attended art school studying under such famous teachers as John Sloan and Robert Henri. But his career collided with the Great Depression and he went to work in the promotion department of Squibb, where he advanced to creative director. In 1936, he set up his own art studio with Squibb as his first client. Although he continued to paint, Sudler’s artistic drive was now expressed through the work of his studio. When the boom in prescription drugs arrived after World War II, Sudler & Hennessey, given the Squibb experience, was ideally positioned to catch the wave, evolving into a full service advertising agency in 1953. However, Sudler did more than go with the flow; he established its direction. His knowledge of art, his taste and his respect for talent produced a remarkably productive creative environment. He hired outstanding designers, developed others into creative stars, and bought the work of notable artists for use in pharmaceutical campaigns. S&H became a mecca for those dedicated to creative excellence with such notable designers on staff as Herb Lubalin, Ernie Smith, George Lois, Dick Jones, Arthur Ludwig, Helmut Krone and Sam Scali. Sudler set a high standard—the integration of art and copy, and reader involvement achieved through provocative, impactful graphics. His talent was the basis for “the pharmaceutical look,” —a style which was followed by a generation of writers and designers and is still with us today. 17
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e worked as advertising manager for Schering. He was to go on to a vastly successful and influential career with the McAdams agency. While at Schering, Sackler used the services of a young German type designer/salesman, L.W. Frohlich, who had come to this country in 1931. A close friendship developed. Frohlich later founded a landmark medical agency and over the years continued his association with Sackler in numerous business ventures. Frohlich, Hennessey, Sackler, Sudler all were to leave their mark on medical advertising and all served an apprenticeship at or through company advertising units in the 1930's. Arthur M. Sackler, M.D. ( 1913— 1987) No single individual did more to shape the character of medical advertising than the multi-talented Dr. Arthur Sackler. His seminal contribution was bringing the full power of advertising and promotion to pharmaceutical marketing. Until the early 1950’s, “ethical drug” promotion had been a low-key "trade” exercise relying principally on sales calls to physicians. The campaign conducted by Sackler's agency, William Douglas McAdams, for the antibiotic Terramycin (Pfizer) forever changed the Rx industry’s marketing model. He showed how intelligently written, strikingly illustrated/designed advertising used in volume could greatly influence the success of a product. No area of healthcare communications remained untouched by Sackler’s restless ingenuity— advertising, publishing, market research, public relations, medical education, closed circuit television and consumer advertising of Rx products. As the founder of the tabloid Medical Tribune he further affirmed his belief in medical communications as a positive force for scientific advancement. He will also be remembered as a connoisseur of the arts—his Far Eastern collection was world-renowned—and for his extensive philanthropy to museums, universities and medical institutions, both here and abroad. 18
T h e S t o r y o f M e d i c a l A dvertising i n A m e r i c a The A dvertisements ... ... in Medicine Avenue are interspersed throughout the text so as to be representative of the historical period being described. They were selected for their creative excellence and also to illustrate themes typical of medical advertising—for example, the depiction of symptoms, scientific explanation of drug mechanisms, and the patient's positive response to medication. Our selection was limited to available material and so, as was noted previously, we may have inadvertently neglected worthy work. We believe the advertising included speaks to the writing and design skill displayed by our industry over the years—talent, of which we in medical advertising can he proud. A gency Names Over the years the names of medical advertising agencies have changed with mergers, new principals rising from the ranks, and acquisitions by consumer agencies. Medicine Avenue has not attempted to trace this shifting nomenclature. The transience of names presents too complex a historical process and, in our opinion, is incidental to the overall story of medical advertising in America. Where a name change represents a turning point, it is noted, but for the most part, we have stayed with the foundation names of agencies, dropping secondary elements for brevity. For example, William Douglas McAdams, after first mention is shortened to McAdams. L.W. Frohlich/Intercon becomes Frohlich. This editing not only speeds up the text but is true to the language of the industry where abbreviated names—Sudler, Torre, Rosenthal, Lally, Ferguson, etc.—are part of the working vocabulary. 19
■ 4 > c y The Boom Years Immediately after WWII the pace of medical advertising intensified. Research provided breakthrough products; Medicine Avenue provided a new promotional philosophy and a new promotional style, launching the industry's "Golden Age."
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e The Founders of M edicine A venue Moving into the 1940's, Frohlich, Hennessey, Sackler and Sudler were to establish agencies that would become central to medical advertising for the next 20 years. In 1942, Hennessey became a partner with Sudler in Sudler & Hennessey, at that time a design studio. Also in 1942, Sackler bought into William Douglas McAdams, on his way to controlling ownership of the agency. In 1943, Frohlich opened his agency. The 1940's saw another important name enter the agency lexicon—Paul Klemtner, who had served Rx clients as a certified public accountant in the late 1930's. In addition to auditing and financial advice, he counseled his clients to increase their promotional activities—principally detailing—and to focus on prescribing rather than dispensing MDs. He eventually set up an agency in Newark, NJ, in 1942 to execute the programs he had championed. Coming out of World War II, there existed a core of medically oriented agencies—Frohlich, Klemtner, McAdams, Phibbs, Sudler & Hennessey and Murray Breese, a New York shop that offered competition to McAdams prior to the war and continued on the scene into the 1940's. The business of pharmaceutical advertising was Orinase Prescription Information toosc: raiiwi respond'* begin therapy A"." ®©@f; 0 © «« 0® »ujI mjintcti-KKC<W I Cm. nwt to W, t o fxtieafI response) ochange (tomInsulin to Oritiasct ( ptrviouv insulin dftagc was rothan r..... ... reduce insulin ! immediately: gradtt ilin dwe if rctjx to Otinau: is ohten'cd. see dun tfl u./dav . . . reduce i Win 20$ immediately: cat fulh reduce insulin beyond il point if topottsc t<t Orinme etnmc*LIn thoc patients, h< anO «>'. throe limw <1. u>S upon to hi. jdiywiwi daily, the lew mroih. be .Cnxild rwwirt k*«t ««xe vttlly ten |>hvtlcilcvami W.»«I „<Jf dnemiiutlon wfcitc cetl count . with (Jitlcrcni ioid V*J "I o™«. 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It is not a snbsri- :r iitMiliti. \,„1 it rctjttiies tltc T **Hcren.c to luric principles of 1sto control as «h.ex insulin. cat.. dietary regulation; texts for glwoMtttj and keidniirta: hygiene: cxcittw: in- stiuction of the patient to recngrii/e and counteract impending hvpoglvtctiiia. to follow rigidlv direction* regarding diet and continuing me of the drug aod to icjiort immediate!! to the plivxkijn am feeling of illness. Extreme cate mint l< taken during tltc Hamilton |*ctiod to avoid ketmis. acidosis, ami coraa. Side effect*. To tlate. tlte most serious side clfect is hypoglycemia, which un* occur occasionalb and is most likdv to occur during the Hamilton period ftotn insulin to Otinase. Otlier uttlowatd te- aclions to Otin.oe ate late, muallv of a mm-scrinus nattnc. am! tend to disappear on adjustment of dosage, e.g. gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, variable allergic skin manifestations, and alcohol intolerance. Clinical toxicity. Aside fiom an octa xlonat hypoglycemia.Onnaw appears to Ic remarkably free of gross clinical toxicity.There is no evidence of crystalhtna or other untoward effects on cowl function. or of hepatotoxicity. Except for a rare leukopenia of mil ’ *" has Iwen rcvmiMc (in J degree, which mice c 3 One of a series of reports on Qortove Key to a New Era in Medical Science F ir»l »ynilwaizcd from u bile acid in tho Merck Research laboratories in 1916, Corlonc* was uaol initially at the Itiro Oiaie with dramatic result* in the treatment of rheumatoid arthriti*. Stuec that lime, rlinical studies cniMluricd by more than a ihmisand investigator* have in.licat.xj a liroad *pec t rum of M«efuUc. for this hormonal sulistancc. A* a result of steadily increasing production, adcs|uate >uppfW-. A Cofloae now arc available for therapeutic use hv the physician. produced jjriUug ciiniealimprowmrnt are; KIIKI’MATOII) ARTIIHITIS un.t KvUtol ItlieuniaUe Dixaxr* ACUTE KUEUMATIC FEVElt BROXCUIAL ASTHMA EYE DISEASES, Indudin< NomsikcIAo Mti*. Iririor>clit!». Uvrtli,, and Syotp»- thetic OptuhtliuU <KIN DISORDERS. Not,My Pcntldiitms Anatwu-urotir Edrma, At<tfM« Di-rmatiin* C*ic» Stxoodvy to Drug lUkeliont Qortove corroxE ,urut» Aotiw ktmtl n nJiH» to ail li.Mp.ut. npim l 1. the .Kmrtinn 'l-.VJ l.« inilut prriwl m# tr«c*«c. MERCK A CO-l'f- ^ tcoansoxE am * m i) S.K .F.’s Remarkable New Drug — r FOR CONTROLOF SENILE AGITATION THORAZINE’ ‘Thorazine’ can ‘'change tltc hostile, agitated, senile patient into a quiet, easily managed patient.” (Winkdman, N. W., Jr.: J.A.M.A. /yj;t8 |May ij (9J4) Available in cableu and ampul solution for injection. Additional information on •Thorazine* is available on request. Smith, Kline St, French Laboratories IS30 Spring Garden Street. Philadelphia I I *Tradcmark for chtorpromazinc hydrochloride, S.K.F. 1 2 22
T h e 4 0 ' s / T h e 5 0 ' s izer Terra bona growing rapidly with the advent of new products. For example, Premarin (Wyeth-Ayerst) had been introduced in 1941 and during the war medical advances made in antibiotics and steroids were harbingers of what was to come. In Chicago, Jordan Sieber (1949) opened, and in New York, the husband and wife team of Noyes & Sproul went into business with A.H. Robins as their key account. Also, the colorful Dr. Cortez F. Enloe, a physician and former Air Force colonel, founded his agency, gaining business from Squibb which, as a major spender, nurtured a number of the early agencies. Consumer agencies, like Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield, which handled business for Merck, recognized a new market for promotion services and began to compete with the specialized agencies. Premarin* AYERST, McKENNA & HARRISON Limit'd 1 Client: Merck (1950). 2 Client: Smith, Kline & French (1954). 3 Client: Upjohn. Agency: McAdams (the first oral antidiabetic drug. 1957). 4 Client: Searle. Agency: R. E. Wilson. Copy: Dick Grossman (note the indication for The Pill: ‘to control menstrual irregularity'! 1957). 5 C lien t Pfizer. Agency: McAdams (the first teaser ad in our industry, prior to the introduction of Terramycin. 1949). 6 Client: Ayerst, McKenna & Plarrison (1947). 7 Client: Wallace. Agency: Ted Bates (1950). The good earth lia« given nun more titan bread alone. recently it ha* given him longer life through the. antibiotics found in il« soil. J».-t recently bacterial, tin! and riekett-ial organism* have for the fir«i time heroine more amrnahle to control thank* to iltr isolation of the newer antil«iotie». In the isolation, screening anil production of Mich vital agent*, a notable role ha* been played by 70 95%* of nervous, tense patients recovered or improved For your patients, Miltown promptly cheeks emotional and muscular tension. Thu*, you will make it easier for them to lead a normal family life and to cany on their usual work. For you, the choice of Miltown a*the tranquilirer means the comfortable assurance that it will relieve nervousness and tension without impairing your patient* mental efficiency, motor control, normal behavior or autonomic balance. Miltown: iWWALLACE LABORATORIES. New BruiuvicA.N. J6 7 23
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e The "Wonder Drug" Wave 1 This group of agencies was ideally positioned to benefit from the flood of new pharmaceuticals that emerged from European and American research laboratories in the 1950's. The "wonder drug" era had arrived. Diseases previously untreatable suddenly could be cured or alleviated by new medication. Antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, oral hypoglycemic, psychotropics and anti-hypertensives revolutionized medical practice. Wall Street, Washington, American medicine, the pharmaceutical industry, and the medical advertising agencies shared in the triumph of new chemical and biological discoveries that significantly improved public health and the quality of living. Medical advertising agencies had the enviable task of delivering the inspiring message of technological advances to healthcare practitioners. Not surprisingly, medical advertising reflected this technological revolution and went through a comparable transformation. Funded by sizable budgets, agencies began to draw upon the creative talent of Madison Avenue and abandon the catalogue look of trade advertising. Impactful graphics, challenging copy, and saturation media strategies were introduced for journal ads, direct mail, sampling units, convention exhibits and sales aids. Most of the basic promotional techniques of Rx promotion took shape at this time. If a watershed event in this transition can he identified, it is probably the intensive campaign McAdams conducted, led by Dr. Sackler, for Terramycin (Pfizer) and the appearance in 1952 of the Pfizer house organ Spectrum as a multipage insert in JAMA to build the company's status and as an advertising vehicle. 2 4
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e ... Aflrlrdiitfl br»A«i* tablets and elixir 2 1 3 1 Client: Abbott. AD: Lester Beall (1941). 2 C lien t Smith, Kline & French. AD: Lester Beall (1943). 3 Client: Upjohn. Agency: McAdams. AD: Will Burtin (1950). 4 C lien t Pfizer. Agency: McAdams. AD: Harry Zelenko. Copy: John Kallir (1952). 5 Client: Upjohn. Agency: McAdams. AD: Rudy Wolff. (1950s). 6 C lient Schering. Agency: L. W.Frohlich. AD: Ken Lavey. Ilwstr.: Eric Carle (1950s). 7 Client. United Fruit. Agency: McAdams. AD: Dave Epstein. Illustr.: Fred Witzig (1950s). strength in crisis Upjohn Adrenal Cortex Extract ; frvioct • Upjohn 26
T h e 4 0 ' s / T h e 5 0 ' s 4 6 To mend broken bor.es, skeletal traction. leverage and pressureremain preferred procedure}.NVh:.- reduction csnne: be effected by conservative mea ns, however, Terramycin is a drug of choice when infection is a complicating factor in the necessary orthopedic surgery. Likewise, for treating compound fractures ■Terramydn provides unsurpassed: broad-specimm potency against ever-present bacterial invaders. Pure, crystalline Terramydn iswell tolerated, widely distributed in the body, sr.d promptly effective. Available in convenient oral, intravenous ar.d ophthalmic dosage forms. STERILE AQUEOUS SUSPENSION DELTA-CORTEF 10 "wc.pOR INTRAMUSCULAR USE The pharmaceutical excellence of Delta-Coetef» LM. SAS.. justifies complete confidence in Use potency of each dose administered. Highly recommended in many situations requiring anti-inflammatory, antistress, anti-toxemic support |W*1 5 BANANATOMY MEDULLA ^ Practically melt^ % in the mouth. Fiber and pectin help normalize colonic function—provide high bulk in chronic constipation. Great for any diet, bananas fill tcithout fattening— only 88* calories medium banana. PROXIMAL END sheer delight, easily digested, and chock-full of 7 when yesterday’s indulgence becomes today’s allergy Chlor-Trimeton Repetabs i. b 2 7
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e Client: Merrell. Agency: Sudler & Hennessey. AD: Herb Lubalin. Copy; Don Clark. (1954). At this time, company field forces were small, numbering in the hundreds rather than the thousands as they do today. Accordingly, to reach physicians, a heavy promotional role was given to non-personal selling techniques—direct mail of all kinds and journal advertising. "During this period," Hennessey recalls, "it was difficult for anyone in the communications business to miss. The drug industry became alive with [new products] and the need to spread the good news."5 Cortez Enloe, at a seminar on pharmaceutical marketing in 1955, commented, "In 1946, there were four or five genuine medical advertising agencies in the pharmaceutical business. Today, there are eighteen ... that also indicates that a lot of money is being spent by advertising agencies, few of which have gone broke ..."6 Medical advertising was booming along with the pharmaceutical industry. The boom stimulated the founding of new Rx agencies. Robert E. Wilson, after working in the advertising departments of G.D. Searle and William R. Warner, went out on his own to open his agency in New York in 1952. In Philadelphia, in proximity to a concentration of Rx manufacturers, Ted Thomas began business in 1953 in competition with Lee Ramsdell and the consumer agency Lewis & Gillman, which handled advertising for American Home Products' ethical drug company Wyeth. Jordan Sieber in Cliicago became Jordan Sieber In 1,272 consecutive cases thcro has been no mydriatic effect. Rebel was highly citifying, with virtual freedom from undesirable i*de effects, such as blurred BENTYL SPUTS A QUICK STOP TO the quick-acting anti safe antisptmnodic/ no atrOj ctladonna ■—like side effects/ safe even in the presence of glaucoma 2 caps, t.i.d. Composition & Dosaxc: ccrtm Caps, and Syrup—each cap /tcaspocnfol (5 cc.) contains 10 mg. scum (dicyclomine) Hydro chloride. Benin, with Phenobsrbital adds 15 mg. phcncbarbital to the formula. Adults- 2 caps., 2 tcaspoonful* syrup, ti.d. before cr after meals. If necessary, repeat at bedtime, fitMia 20 mg. Tabs, with Phenobarbetal contain 20 mg. itnm. 15 mg. phenobarbvtol. Adults—1 tab. t *.d. sr.tj at bedtime, if needed. BCMtnRepeatActionwithPhenobarbitalTabs. contain 10 mf. wrrrn. 15 me. phenabatbital coated core. Adutts-1 or 2 tabs, at bedtime. Or every eight hours as needed Supplied: Caps.—bottles cf 100.500and 1.000:20mg. Tabs.. Repeat Action Tabs.—bottlos of 10D and 500. Syrop-lSor. and caUon fc Injcctkm—2 cc. ampufs. t> of 4; 10 cc. multiple dose vials. J 28
T h e 4 0 ' s / T h e 5 0 ' s Corbett in 1955 when Frank J. Corbett, after working for manufacturers in the East and in California, moved to the agency side of the business. Consumer agencies attracted to the pharmaceutical business in the mid-1950's were Benton & Bowles, Charles W Hoyt (Merck), Fuller & Smith & Ross (Lilly), Doremus-Eshleman (SKF), Ruthruff & Ryan (Lederle), and BBDO (Merck). A shortage of knowledgeable copywriters, art directors, research and account personnel allowed for a concentration of industry billing at the older agencies, particularly McAdams and Frohlich. These two agencies, never truly rivals based on the friendship of Dr. Sackler and Frohlich, were in a dominant position. With "ethical drug" expertise in such demand and with relationships with their clients so strong, each was able to handle competitive products with no objection from the manufacturers. For example, Frohlich began working for two directly competitive antihistamines in 1949—Chlor-Trimeton (Schering) and Benadryl (Parke-Davis)—and successfully maintained this arrangement into the 1960's. N ew A gencies Emerge As product lines grew and the sales stakes mounted, the business being generated by the burgeoning pharmaceutical industry overran the older and newly founded agencies. The inevitable proliferation of additional agencies began drawing on the talent pool that had been maturing at companies and at the older agencies. In New York, a dramatic event set an example for others to follow—the formation of Burdick, Becker and Fitzsimmons in 1957. Becker had been an ad manager at Squibb; Fitzsimmons came from the Chicago Rx scene; but the significant defection from the older agencies was Dean Burdick who had been one of the top executives at McAdams. Although the three-way partnership lasted only a year, with Fitzsimmons leaving to set up his own agency, a pattern had been established. The "ground floor" agencies would become training grounds for new agencies which, in turn, would train a new crop of competitors in what had become a sizable, well-funded advertising specialty. John Kallir left McAdams and with Warren Ross and Jerry Philips, who had also heen at McAdams, founded Kallir Philips Ross in 1962, the same year Frank Corbett 2 9
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e 1 & Petonicis a highly palatable vitamin-mineral- protein supplement for small animals. It is avnilnble in J£-lb. ami 1-lb. bottles. 2 3 setting new standards E T H I C O N sutures PFIZER LABORATORIES Division, Chat. PJher & Co.. Inc. 0 c u L A R 1 N FE C T I O N S R E S P O N D TO BROAD S P E C T R U M TERRAMYCIN 0 4 CAPSULES for systemic infection 5ULES STERILE mg- SOLUTION antibiotic for prompt B ipy__________ com plex therapy for systemic infecti with stress and/or inflammatlr m m 3 0
T h e 4 0 ' s / T h e 5 0 ’ s resigned from JSC. The demand for experienced Rx advertising talent soon had him in business for himself. The character of pharmaceutical promotion had markedly changed in intensity and style. Competition among manufacturers as they introduced dozens of new brand names during the 1950's expressed itself in great quantities of direct mail, medical journals bulked up by multipage, four-color ads and heavy stock inserts, elaborate exhibits at medical conventions, widespread sampling and increased MD calls by sales representatives. At a 1959 seminar of pharmaceutical marketing, Tobias Wagner, director of advertising at SmithKline & French, had this to say about direct mail: "Perhaps the biggest problem inherent in pharmaceutical promotion is the sheer bulk of direct mail received by the physician. Last year, (1958) according to one reliable source, there was a slight decrease in total mailings: 3902 (comprising 6,513 pieces) in 1957. But the volume is still formidable." He also noted, "... direct mail is the physician's favorite whipping boy; he habitually brands it as inordinately expensive and as a chief factor contributing to the high cost of drugs ludwig Wilhelm Frohlich ( 1913- 1971) L.W. Frohlich was a combination of esthetic sensibilities and business acumen. His superb taste was evidenced by the fashion statement of his finely tailored suits, the furnishings and art in his New York townhouse, and the high standard he set for the graphics in the work his advertising agency produced. He arrived in this country in 1931 as a representative for a German type company. His talents came to the attention of the Schering advertising manager, Dr. Arthur Sackler, who encouraged him to go into business for himself. Frohlich set up an art studio in 1939, and in 1944 it was incorporated as an advertising agency. Over the years a number of art directors who achieved recognition in consumer advertising served an apprenticeship at LWF. On the business side, he was a visionary. L.W. Frohlich/lntercon was operating internationally in European markets and in Japan well in advance of its competitors. As a major partner in the formation of the market-auditing firm IMS, Frohlich displayed his capacity to recognize the long-term, informational needs of the pharmaceutical industry. His vision of a global market for advertising and research services survived his untimely death in his late 50s 1 Client Upjohn. A3£wcy.McAdams. AD: Rudy Wolff. I llustr.: R.O. Blechman (1950s). 2 C lien t Upjohn. Agency: McAdams.AD: Rudy Wolff. I llu s tr .: Andy Warhol (1950s). 3 C lien t Ethicon. Agency: L. W. Frohlich. AD: Ken Lavey (1950s). 4 Client: Pfizer. Agency: McAdams. AD: Harry Zelenko. Copy: John Kallir (1952). 31
M e d i c i n e A v e n u e 1 Client: Warner-Chilcott. Agency: Sudler & Hennessey. AD: Herb Lubalin (1950s). 2 Client. A. H. Robins. Agency: Sudler & Hennessey. AD: Ernie Smith. (1954). 3 C lien t Schering. Agency: Sudler & Hennessey. AD: Herb Lubalin. Photog.: Carl Fischer (1956). 1 3 2 -------- and like ail the others-UQ vIV IL K there’s pain and inflammation here- it could be mild or severe, acute or chronic, primary or secondary fibrositis- or even early rheumatoid arthritis in any case it cafis for P Iw ',— 3 2
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