Related Posts
More From This Category
- Explode The Growth Of Your Business By Lighting This Long Fuse
- Dove Reponds To My Blog Post
- Hot Gossip: Dove To Dump “Real Beauty” Campaign
- How The Girl Scouts Are Forcing You To Buy Cookies… And Make You Like It
It seems that Dr. Jarvik of Lipitor commercial fame isn’t all that people might think he’s cracked up to be. Turns out that while he’s a respected medical researcher and inventor, he’s never actually had a license to practice medicine. Anyone who’s watched those ads might find that to be a little surprising.
And those ads where he’s rowing
on peaceful body of water? Ain’t him. And ain’t never gonna be him, ‘cuz Dr. Jarvik doesn’t row… at all. The dude you see rowing is a body double.
What kills me is Pfizer’s (and their ad agency’s) inability to say, "Hey – we f***ed up." Pressured by Congress, this is what the spokesperson for the company had to say about Pfizer’s decision to pull the Jarvik campaign (on which they’ve already spent close to $140 million dollars):
"The way in which we presented Dr. Jarvik in these ads has, unfortunately,
led to misimpression and distractions…"
Oh. So it was the customer’s fault. Glad we cleared that up.
Look for increased pressure on companies to produce campaigns that are authentic and transparent, especially if the upcoming presidential election creates the shift in our society that many are predicting will happen. Holly and I sure see it – we’ve even devoted an entire chapter on the subject in our new book.
Viva Transparency!!
Michele Miller is a writer, speaker, and consultant on ways to capture the heart of the female customer. The co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth, she consults with businesses of all sizes across North America
Transparency is what happens when you can see right through the stupid in an ad, right? (I’m kidding) Great book, by the way!
The US is one of two countries in the world where direct-to-consumer advertising by drug companies is legal…. and we are bombarded by them. The newest drugs are the ones that are the most heavily advertised, and yet the least is known about their safety. If we have to watch an endless stream of half-celebrities telling us to “ask your doctor about…” then the ads should at least give consumers some real information we can use. That’s why Consumers Union is petitioning the FDA to require drug companies to include a 1-800 number and web address in all drug ads on TV so consumers know where to report serious side effects. The easier it is for us to report side effects, the earlier the FDA can detect safety problems with a drug. Add your name to the petition now at http://www.PrescriptionForChange.org.
how bizarre. if we are not being sold out by out politicians, we are being lied to by corporations.