Marketers who ever doubted that American media is moving inexorably toward an environment increasingly controlled by consumers who decide what they want and when they want it were given a wake-up call yesterday by CBS and NBC. The two networks announced they would join ABC in offering consumers mostly commercial-free prime-time shows shortly after their initial broadcast run. The shows would cost as little as 99 cents and could be viewed through satellite and digital cable TV systems.

In a continuing bid to generate grassroots support, PepsiCo yesterday launched a S.M.A.R.T. lifestyle initiative with the aid of spokesperson supermodel Cindy Crawford. The effort is an educational program that promotes healthy living, launched in Washington, D.C., where Crawford was on hand to open a new playground built by PepsiCo and KaBOOM!, a non-profit group. As part of the program, Pepsi puts a Smart Spot symbol on select products to help moms identify healthy choices. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for: Start with a healthy breakfast; Move more; Add more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; Remember to hydrate; Try lower calories …

In the latest indication of how much advertisers and users like casual gaming, a leading online gaming hub is launching a new product that places live ads on billboards and signage in a game. The announcement came from Shockwave.com, which already counts major brands such as McDonald's and Honda among its clients. The company said the new ads would appear on a game called Switch Wakeboarding and that several additional games will be added to the network in the coming months. Executives also said Sprint, SBC Communications and Sony Pictures have already signed up for the new product.

After a brand-building strategy involving over-the-top grand openings and special events went awry, Hard Rock Café CMO Sean Dee decided to switch gears. He closed down some smaller locations and focused on repositioning the chain's flagship store in New York from 57th Street to Times Square, learning some valuable lessons along the way. The relaunch involved four key steps, which he recounts here.

Advertiser Trade Group Responds To Proposal To Restrict Kids' TV Ads The Association of National Advertisers today said that Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) claims that food and beverage TV ads targeted to kids have created a "toxic" environment have been "undercut by study after study." The statement was made on the ANA's website by its Washington representative, Dan Jaffe. It came in response to a Harkin provision in an appropriations bill calling for the FTC to report on marketing expenditures targeted towards children across various types of media.

Colgate Palmolive is embarking on a new alliance with another company designed to incorporate gene therapy into mouthwashes, gels and similar products to treat and prevent oral cancers. Gene therapy is new and experimental and involves replacing malfunctioning cells with healthy ones. Experts say the treatment has so far enjoyed few successes, but that's not stopping Colgate Palmolive.

Kentucky Fried Chicken wants consumer to know that, despite fears of avian flu, it's still OK to eat their chickens. To address the issue, the fast-food marketer is embarking on a plan to educate consumers. Part of the effort includes TV ads designed to reassure customers that "cooked chicken is perfectly safe to eat," according to Jonathan Blum, senior VP-Public Relations of KFC parent company YUM Brands. Chicken is a big business in the U.S., accounting for $50 billion in annual retail sales, and poultry industry association are reportedly preparing similar educational efforts to stave off flu fears.

Here's some bad news for beer drinkers who like to see half-naked women wrestling in the mud, or flatulent horses, in TV spots for their favorite brands. Top brewers apparently believe that kind of advertising/marketing strategy, traditional for the category, is doing more harm than good. In an effort led by national brewing powerhouse Anheuser-Busch, beer marketers are talking about the need to enhance their image among younger consumers and make beer a more sophisticated beverage of choice. "We've marketed our way into this problem," says Tom Long, Miller Brewing Co.'s chief marketing officer, "and we can market ourselves out …

Marketers who sell products in grocery and drugstore chains have a new weapon in their arsenal of in-store marketing tools--floor ads that have motion and sound. An Ohio tech firm called Intellimat has developed a computerized, four-screen plasma floor mat that can show images and play sounds as shoppers roll their carts over it. Each unit is portable and costs $9,900. Intellimat says test markets are coming soon.

Integrated marketing has been the rage for a while now, and everyone knows that when it works, it works well. But coordinating such an effort is not easy, and the strategy doesn't work for every product or service. Organizers at Marketing Sherpa found that when they planned their recent East Coast Summit conference, a scattershot effort achieved impressive results.