• Advertising Age, Monday, November 16, 2009 7:44 PM

When Ford decided to promote its breast-cancer awareness program among hip high-schoolers, it arranged a tie-in with "90210," a CW series. In the past, the Ford program, called Warriors in Pink, has been primarily aimed at middle-aged women. In contrast, the CW tie-in "speaks to how [younger] people who haven't necessarily had the disease, but have been affected by it, can make a difference," says Alison Tarrant, senior VP at the CW network.

It's the latest sign that more mainstream TV outlets are looking to hook their programming to a particular cause or theme. At NBC Universal, executives have over the last few programming seasons trotted out initiatives to link ads and shows to the environment, women and, most recently, health.

In October, for instance, NBC Universal announced an effort to align consumers and marketers with health-and-wellness content, with Campbell Soup promoting new, heart-healthy, lower-sodium soups and a heart-health awareness program during NBC's "Today" show and during an MSNBC program featuring Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

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