• The Wall Street Journal , Tuesday, August 12, 2008 10:31 AM

Procter & Gamble's new print and TV campaign for the venerable Pepto-Bismol stomach remedy revolves around a fictitious phone-hotline operator in a pink sweater vest who fields calls from people complaining of stomach aches. In one spot promoting cherry-flavored Pepto-Bismol, a woman whose friend has overindulged in foods from cherry pie to "chicken cherryaki" calls the hotline to ask if Pepto-Bismol can help. The operator reassures her with the tagline, "Yup, you're covered," as the friend sips a cherry slush.

The brand that has long touted its ability to solve gastrointestinal issues from heartburn to diarrhea is losing sales amid competition that includes an array of specialty products. Some 130 new stomach remedies or brand extensions of existing treatments landed on drugstore shelves between 2001 and 2006, according to market researcher Mintel International Group.

Sales of Pepto-Bismol liquid were flat at $61 million last year and in 2006, according to market-research firm Information Resources Inc. P&G plans to spend between $12 million and $15 million on the new campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company declined to comment on its ad spending.

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