A British organization called Consumers International is making fun of TV drug ads, and so hopes to convince the public to not be swayed by direct to consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical marketing. Here is a spoof drug ad the organization has produced:
For those that cannot read between the frames, the Wall Street Journal Health Blog explains:
The spoof includes classic elements of a Big Pharma TV ad: a warning that one in five people suffers from MDD, an interview with a doctor and rapid-fire warnings about the drug’s side effects (which in Strivor’s case include sexual hyperactivity, flatulence, spontaneous vomiting and lethargy).
The spoof directs viewers to Marketing Overdose, a site Consumers International set up to dissect the drug industry’s marketing tactics. The site lambastes consumer advertising, the wining and dining of doctors and the financing of patient groups. It also includes a spoof training video for sales reps trying to peddle Strivor, and pokes fun at a made-up patient group called Unmotivated Anonymous.
More at WSJ Health Blog…
Project page: Marketing Overdose…