Anti-tobacco effort draws bids from 4 ad agencies.(Brief Article)

The state's high-profile, multimillion-dollar anti-tobacco campaign has smoked out several ad agencies because of the strenuous demands of its bidding process, many in the industry say.

Only four firms are competing for the $50 million to $80 million account, including incumbent Riester-Robb, Cramer-Krasselt, Moses Anshell and E.B. Lane Marketing Communications.

But officials with the Arizona Department of Health's Anti-Tobacco and Prevention Program say they're satisfied with the response.

"Certainly you want to maximize competition," said John Medwin, who oversees the procurement process for the campaign. "But we're confident the companies that submitted …