Seasoned TV watchers are probably accustomed to the ebb and flow of pharmaceutical ads, when depictions of relief are followed by a reminder to talk to a doctor about a particular drug, which then leads into a speedy rundown of the potential side effects of said drug.

Those ads, let alone how pharma companies advertise altogether, could soon be changing. President Donald Trump on Sept. 9 signed a memorandum to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the head of the FDA that would get rid of the 1997 “adequate provision” loophole, which lets prescription drugmakers summarize safety and risk information in TV ads and direct consumers elsewhere to get additional information.

The same day, the FDA said in a statement that it would send thousands of letters to pharma companies warning them to bring their ads into compliance, and sent an estimated 100 cease-and-desist letters to companies it claimed were running “deceptive” TV drug ads. In mid-October, the FDA published 12 more letters to pharma companies targeting other advertising channels, including websites, newsletters, and social media, Medical Marketing + Media reported.

According to the Sept. 9 memorandum, the White House claims it’s aiming “to ensure transparency and accuracy in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising,” arguing that drug ads can be misleading and could promote taking medications over lifestyle changes.

Policy changes typically go through a formal rulemaking process, often taking between two and three years to finalize, and the move falls short of a full ban on pharmaceutical advertising that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised during his presidential campaign. But Kennedy’s comments about pharma ads have remained steadfast: In a Sept. 9 release from HHS, he claimed “pharmaceutical ads hooked this country on prescription drugs” and said HHS “will shut down that pipeline of deception and require drug companies to disclose all critical safety facts in their advertising.”

Direct advertising has become a crucial way that pharma brands reach consumers, and experts say drugmakers are watching potential new rules closely, especially as the proposed changes seem poised to make reaching consumers more burdensome.

Continue reading here.—KM, MA

When you minus a plus, you could still be left with a positive.

At least, that’s what a basic understanding of math points to, and what Apple might be going for.

The tech giant’s streaming service recently underwent a subtle rebrand, dropping the plus sign from Apple TV+ to simply become Apple TV, a move the company said in a press release was part of a “vibrant new identity” for the streamer. But there’s one problem—Apple TV is already the name of the company’s existing connected TV hardware device and its streaming app, and the plus sign had previously helped delineate the difference.

It’s a dilemma for customers who might need to refer to the different products or who are new to the Apple universe, but the pared-down moniker could also be reflective of how users interact with the streaming world today, according to Anthony Shore, chief operative at brand naming agency Operative Words.

“Apple has always been about simplicity in all kinds of ways, and this is a continuation of those efforts,” Shore told us. “Clearly it’s their intention that they want ‘Apple TV’ to mean all of these different things [related to entertainment].”

Read more here.—JN

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Victoria Bachan is SVP, creators, at Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent agency. She was previously president of Sixteenth, the Whalar Group-owned creator talent management company, and she has also worked for the producers of the Vans Warped Tour, Coachella, and Governors Ball.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Maybelline’s “Face the Difference” just goes to show that, even within communities, there is such vast diversity, and it is so important to welcome that. Maybelline did a beautiful job bringing such a diverse group of AAPI trailblazers together. As a young girl, I would’ve loved to have this, and I am grateful the next generation does—and that brands, when taking an intentional opportunity to connect, can truly nail it.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: Since starting my career on the Vans Warped Tour to now, I have been to all 50 states and six continents. Travel awakens our ability to appreciate culture in ways you can never think of, and I genuinely feel it has made me a better leader and talent representative to take myself out of what I “know” and to be open to learning every day. While you can probably tell from my LinkedIn that I’ve worked on some of the biggest festivals and brands in entertainment, what it doesn’t show is how much those experiences taught me about resilience and problem-solving in unconventional settings, like troubleshooting backstage at a festival with tens of thousands of people counting on you.

Continue reading here.

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Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• Lululemon partnered with the NFL to release a line of apparel featuring team logos.
• Johnson & Johnson is now the official medical innovation sponsor of the New York Jets.
• Dunkin’ and Kahlúa tapped Salma Hayek Pinault for a new campaign promoting their co-branded beverage, Kahlúa Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur.
• Reddit sued Perplexity AI for allegedly scraping Reddit comments to train its chatbot.