So I wrote this short essay for a class recently. It's on the effectiveness of a pharmaceutical ad for the antidepressant Pristiq:
Pharmaceutical ads have been around as long as I can remember, which is the 90’s. The reason is that in the 1980’s the FDA allowed drug manufacturers to begin advertising directly to consumers. Prior to this, they were only allowed to advertise to healthcare professionals. The drug ads we see on TV are called Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising (DTCPA). You should be familiar with these ads, as drug companies spend billions every year to advertise. In fact, a study from 2004 showed that pharmaceutical companies spend twice as much on advertising as they do on research and development. [1]
Pharmaceutical ads have been around as long as I can remember, which is the 90’s. The reason is that in the 1980’s the FDA allowed drug manufacturers to begin advertising directly to consumers. Prior to this, they were only allowed to advertise to healthcare professionals. The drug ads we see on TV are called Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising (DTCPA). You should be familiar with these ads, as drug companies spend billions every year to advertise. In fact, a study from 2004 showed that pharmaceutical companies spend twice as much on advertising as they do on research and development. [1]
Since drug companies spend so much on advertising, these commercials are surely effective. Two of the most important things in these commercials is the imagery and actors used. We know that the information is obviously important, but more on that later.
The ad I would like to discuss (because it came up first on Google) is a commercial for Pristiq. Pristiq is the brand name for the molecule called O-desmethylvenlafaxine. It is an “antidepressant of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor class developed and marketed by Wyeth (now part of Pfizer).” [2]
In the commercial, a lady is describing how depression affects her life, vaguely and with buzzwords of course. She says that she has to “wind herself up” just to get going. Meanwhile, the music is in the minor scale, and also depressing. The lady looks and sounds unhappy, and so does the music. You feel unhappy too now! You can relate to the lady in the commercial, and are being affected as the advertisers intended.
Then, you are shown Pristiq. Glorious glorious Pristiq! It is even “proven to treat depression”. [3] At the same time the scale the music is played in changes to major, more instruments are added, a nonspecific science looking clip showing neurotransmitter uptake is fed to your eyes. And of course, our actress is now smiling. She is happy, and you can be too!
The rest of the imagery in the commercial makes little sense to me. The same lady is shown trying to sell some kind of vase to a couple? Meanwhile we get to learn about all of the horrible, yes horrible side effects. Such as the higher risk of suicide... Anyway, the goal of the commercial is to get you to request this drug from your doctor if you experience symptoms of depression. I find that the commercial is quite effective as it affects my moods with its imagery and audio cues. The side effects dialogue, while important, is boring, and I obviously do not listen to it too intently. Either way, if I was depressed, I would definitely be asking my doctor about Pristiq.
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