Over the years, the Advertising Council has created characters that have become icons for their causes, and household words, such as Smokey the Bear. Television has brought many of them into our homes — the Crying Indian, and McGruff, the (anti-) Crime dog.

Now, the Ad Council would like you to meet a man in a red suit. You don't want to invite him into your home — or anywhere. In fact, you would like to get rid of him as soon as possible, and that's the idea.

The TV ads show cop-like doctors apprehending a bulbous, obnoxious character in his signature red polyp suit.

While the tone is humorous, the message is serious. The five-year survival rate for colon cancer is 90% when it is diagnosed at an early, localized stage. However, only 37% of diagnoses are made in the early stage. As a result, colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the US.

Each ad, which features the voice of Tim Allen, concludes with the campaign tagline, "Get the test. Get the polyp. Get the cure."

Radio public service announcements (PSAs) also feature Allen's voice. Print ads show this pesky character getting caught by doctors.

Sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and developed by volunteer ad agency Campbell-Ewald, the new campaign is designed to motivate people to get tested as a way to prevent colon cancer. It also focuses on the high cure rate associated with early detection.

"When you work on a campaign that has the potential to save 56,000 lives every year, you do not want it to be invisible or ordinary," said Bill Ludwig, vice chairman and chief creative officer of Campbell-Ewald. "The Polyp Man campaign was born out of the insight that colon cancer almost always begins with a polyp. Get rid of the polyp and you get the cure. It will be very difficult to ignore or forget this type of advertising."

Harmon J. Eyre, MD, ACS national chief medical officer said, "Finding and removing polyps through early detection testing before they become cancerous can stop colon cancer before it even starts. In fact, if all Americans 50 or older had regular tests, annual deaths from colon cancer could be cut in half."

Tommy Thompson, US Health and Human Services secretary, said "The American Cancer Society and the Ad Council are making a real contribution to saving lives by educating the pubic about early screening for colon polyps. Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in this country, but it can often be prevented by early detection.

"Colon cancer almost always starts with colon polyps, developing with no symptoms, so it's vital that people go to their doctor for regular testing," Thompson said. "It's especially important for the most vulnerable population — people over 50 years of age."

The Ad Council is a private non-profit organization. It has been the leading producer of public service communications programs in the US since is founding as The War Advertising Council in 1942.

For 60 years, the Ad Council has supported campaigns that benefit all Americans. Marshalling talent from the advertising and communications industries, the Ad Council has increased awareness, fostered understanding, and motivated action.

Campaigns like "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" and "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" are examples. Sixty-eight percent of Americans said they had personally stopped someone who had been drinking from driving. And since its inception in 1944, the "Only You" campaign has reduced the number of acres lost annually to forest fires by 82%.