• Medical Marketing & Media, Friday, October 26, 2007 11:15 AM

Johnson & Johnson's Cordis wants to raise the profile of its Cypher stent with a consumer advertising campaign in what could be a first for the category as Abbott and Medtronic move into a market J&J has long split with Boston Scientific.

J&J rolled out newspaper ads this month in major dailies including The New York Times and USA Today. Ads from BBDO show an actual-size image of the stent under headlines that read "Tennis partner," "Hiking gear" and "Gym Equipment." The copy tells people with angina that the stent "can help get your blood pumping and your body moving once again. So you can get back to living life . . . . without chest pains."

Says Carol Goodrich, director of corporate communications for Cordis, the "goal is to help facilitate discussion between patients and physicians about coronary artery disease, the treatment options and of course, Cypher as well." The effort goes along with a revamped product Web site. New medical journal ads from Harrison + Star are due out soon.

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