• by John Gaffney , May 21, 2002

ProzacNation Riffs: When the airline industry was struck at its financial heart in September, the government was quick to lend a hand (read: money). Which was the right thing to do. Now the feds need to apply the same leniency and commerce-encouraging attitude to the advertising industry as well. The media business was struck at its heart on Sept 11 as well. Now the only category that is showing ad growth year-to-date – pharmaceuticals - is under threat of federal regulations. That regulation could potentially cripple its contribution to whatever turnaround the ad business will see for the rest of this year and into next. Congress and several state legislatures are concerned that the drug industry’s spending on advertising are leading to excessive pricing on the consumer market. So there’s talk of curtailing the amount that drug companies can spend to promote their products. That is some seriously backward thinking. I’m all for making sure that people who can’t afford health insurance have access to needed medication. But I see no sense in making the ad industry pay for that. I would argue that advertising everything from Viagra to allergy drugs increases the awareness of health solutions. It doesn’t make them inaccessible, it makes them accessible. The ad business needs to turn around just as the airline business has. It is an essential part of the workforce and general economy. Anybody who thinks the media world wouldn’t be affected by restrictions on its biggest category should check out some medication themselves........

AfghanRiffs: Just in case you missed it, actor Michael Douglas has announced an undisclosed donation to the Open Media Fund for Afghanistan, which is aimed at rebuilding professional media. Put that on your next media plan.