I am writing to clarify the facts around a reference by John Burghardt to a Fidelity advertisement featuring Lily Tomlin (Viewpoint: "AGF paints its canvas with pure branding message", Feb. 28, 2000).

The television spot Mr. Burghardt refers to never ran in Canada. It ran only in the United States and was only the first spot in a campaign focusing on Peter Lynch and his advocacy of responsible investing – a campaign that continues today. The spot with Lily Tomlin ran from September 1998 until early 1999 exactly as originally scheduled.

Finally, a key fact missing from the column was that the campaign was highly successful. It achieved the objective of driving real business results, helping Fidelity end 1998 with 400,000 more client accounts in the U.S.

In the future, we would be happy to provide the facts around our marketing and advertising activities in Canada or the U.S. – preferably before the story actually runs.

Lauralea Mast

Director, National Advertising

Fidelity Investments

Toronto, Ont.