Torre Lazur McCann Creates Consumer Group

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Jane Ames, a leader in the field of DTC advertising, has joined Torre Lazur McCann as president of its newly created Consumer Communications Group.

The new division reflects the agency's dramatic growth in DTC assignments, notably its selection by Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, of Chester, NJ, for the consumer launch of its MUCINEX(R) family of respiratory products. The consumer assignment comes on top of Torre Lazur's ongoing Agency of Record work on the professional and managed care accounts for the brand.

Ames, a Wellesley College graduate who has devoted her entire career to advertising, came to Torre Lazur from Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare. As executive vice president in charge of Prilosec, Nexium and Entocort, she developed the famous "purple pill strategy" which helped make Prilosec the top-selling drug in history, and turned Nexium into its $3 billion successor. She was previously managing director of Foote Cone Belding Consumer Healthcare, where she oversaw blockbuster campaigns for Zyban, Fosamax, Zocor and 3TC.

Outside the pharmaceutical world, Ames has been vice president of direct marketing for American Express worldwide, general manager of Chapman, a division of Young & Rubicam, and managing director of Chiat/Day. Her clients have included AT&T, Sara Lee, National Car Rental, Met Life and Miller Beer, to name a few.

"Advertising is in her genes," said Beverly Breitenbach, Torre Lazur McCann's CEO in the US. "Jane's father ran his own successful New York ad agency. She is a formidable strategist, and she shares my passion for changing the paradigm of how we do business."

The creation of the consumer division, according to Breitenbach, allows the agency to fully integrate its clients' consumer, professional and managed care activities. "In today's environment, we believe that the best way to serve the client is to provide all aspects of the marketing program under a single agency roof," she said, adding that the agency's holistic outlook has played a significant role in the process of building brands.

In addition to Jane Ames, members of the Torre Lazur McCann Consumer Group include Matt Leung, VP, Management Supervisor, and Vanessa Levin and Jennifer Alampi, who lead the creative team.

Now celebrating its twenty-fifth year in business, Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare Worldwide is one of the largest global healthcare companies in the world. With 40 wholly-owned offices worldwide, the company provides integrated healthcare solutions, translating global ideas into local markets. All five TLM agencies in the U.S. offer integrated, core advertising services for providers, managed markets and consumers, as well as specialty services including television specials, digital media and audio/video. A select list of clients includes Abbot Laboratories, Bristol-Meyers-Squibb, Sanofi, Daiichi, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Gilead, Chiron, Ortho-McNeil, Pfizer, and Roche Laboratories. The parent company is headquartered at 20 Waterview Blvd., Parsippany, NJ 07054. Telephone: 973-263- 9100, Fax: 973-263-4113, Website: http://www.torrelazur.com/ .

CONTACT: Julie Laitin jlaitin@julielaitin.com (212) 286-2424

Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare

CONTACT: Julie Laitin, jlaitin@julielaitin.com, +1-212-286-2424

Web site: http://www.torrelazur.com/