Harvest has brought director Matthias Zentner aboard its roster for exclusive U.S. representation. Zentner’s body of work reflects his experience spanning live action, visual effects, design and photography. Among his notable credits are Mercedes-Benz’s “The Race” via Merkley+Partners, New York, LG’s “The Coolest Washer” out of Y&R New York, Visa’s “Aquarium” via TBWAChiatDay, Los Angeles, and Tostito’s “We Wait” for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco.
Zentner was last handled stateside by foreignfilms. He continues to be repped by ACA Films for Hispanic ad assignments in the U.S., Mexico and Latin America. And the director still maintains his production house Velvet in Germany from which he does much of his post/design and European work.
His ad reach extends beyond traditional commercial formats as reflected in his evocative conceptual film An Italian Dream forged out of a unique partnership between Italian shoemaker Tods and the iconic La Scala Opera House. The site-specific, client-direct piece, produced through Filmmasters in Italy, is a celebration of craftsmanship, Italian heritage and visual rhythm that earned a standing ovation during its debut at Fashion Week 2010.
Zentner first gained notable international recognition when he was included in Saatchi & Saatchi’s New Directors Showcase at Cannes in 2002. He also made SHOOT‘s first annual New Directors Showcase on the strength of spots produced by ACA, Mexico City, and Velvet.
New FDA Rules To Take Effect For TV Drug Commercials
Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications' risks and side effects.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are designed to do away with industry practices that downplay or distract viewers from risk information.
Many companies have already adopted the rules, which become binding Nov. 20. But while regulators were drafting them, a new trend emerged: thousands of pharma influencers pushing drugs online with little oversight. A new bill in Congress would compel the FDA to more aggressively police such promotions on social media platforms.
"Some people become very attached to social media influencers and ascribe to them credibility that, in some cases, they don't deserve," said Tony Cox, professor emeritus of marketing at Indiana University.
Still, TV remains the industry's primary advertising format, with over $4 billion spent in the past year, led by blockbuster drugs like weight-loss treatment Wegovy, according to ispot.tv, which tracks ads.
Simpler language and no distractions
The new rules, which cover both TV and radio, instruct drugmakers to use simple, consumer-friendly language when describing their drugs, without medical jargon, distracting visuals or audio effects. A 2007 law directed the FDA to ensure that drug risk information appears "in a clear, conspicuous and neutral manner."
FDA has always required that ads give a balanced picture of both benefits and risks, a requirement that gave rise to those long, rapid-fire lists of side effects parodied on shows like "... Read More