But You Will be So High
I know some people who've spent many years in Big Pharma, so I know it takes years and years and lots of work and money to get a drug to market. But lately I'm starting to think the government's "war on drugs" ought to be reevaluated. I saw an ad the other night for some drug, and I wish I could recall what drug it was, but instead of "ask your doctor if blahblah is right for you," the voiceover said, "ask your prescriber..." I'm sure many doctors feel that's what they've been reduced to.
The ads are not allowed to deviate much from this formula: happy people outdoors enjoying life to the fullest now that they don't suffer from whatever. Final shot is the monochromatic logo, preferably involving a swirl, adorned with a made-up word.
No. 19 in the new series "Where's My Jetpack?" which is kind of an advertising comic using this blog's name. I won't guarantee an advertising theme all the time, but it's the easiest thing to make fun of.
BUT WAIT! There's MORE!
UPDATE: Oh, bummer. I've finally just found the terms of usage page for these images I've been using in this comic strip. So much for syndication.
The ads are not allowed to deviate much from this formula: happy people outdoors enjoying life to the fullest now that they don't suffer from whatever. Final shot is the monochromatic logo, preferably involving a swirl, adorned with a made-up word.
No. 19 in the new series "Where's My Jetpack?" which is kind of an advertising comic using this blog's name. I won't guarantee an advertising theme all the time, but it's the easiest thing to make fun of.
BUT WAIT! There's MORE!
UPDATE: Oh, bummer. I've finally just found the terms of usage page for these images I've been using in this comic strip. So much for syndication.
Labels: advertising comics, homemade comics, pharmaceutical ads
Sent into orbit at
4:38 PM
6 Comments:
Fucking brilliant Mr. Wilkie.
Great details like the camping and surfboarding shots- to watch pharma ads, you'd think the only people who got sick lived in Boulder, Colorado or Seattle.
The glut of lookalike pharma ads is one reason people go to TiVO - if ever there was a product I could guarantee "this does not concern me" - that was it.
Still, it's important to allow these companies to advertise because it does help put the power back in the hands of patients and gives them information they may not have had.
Whether a doctor wants to become a "prescriber" or an "explainer" is up to him.
By
Alan Wolk, at October 20, 2007 at 3:24 AM
Dave you get BETTER AND BETTTER! Shouting intended. Best comic yet, and pointing out how easy making fun of advertising is......well, I don't have words, but you just made that comic POP!
By
warbird2010, at October 20, 2007 at 3:49 AM
Toad wrote: Still, it's important to allow these companies to advertise because it does help put the power back in the hands of patients and gives them information they may not have had.
Honestly, do these ads really give information that anyone can understand? In most cases, it's impossible to even know what the product is or what it's supposed to cure.
By
HighJive, at October 20, 2007 at 10:57 AM
@Toad - Sore spot for me. Patients should still see the doctor for that info because ultimately, physicians and pharmacists are the last person in touch with a patient, especially if something goes wrong. It’s the physician's responsibility to warn me of potential side effects and risks, not a :30.
I appreciate that pharma keeps a lotta people employed, but all the warnings on TV and the four pages of legal ‘cover-your ass’ bs in all the print ads have not stopped the countless deaths that have resulted from the side effects. And it’s done nothing to stop the countless drug recalls due to big pharma pressuring the FDA to rush drugs to market.
Anybody trusting a :30 for medical advice deserves what happens next. Because if that's the case, then all brands need to be held to the same standard of including obvious warnings about their side effects:
“Pepsi may rot your teeth.”
“McDonald's 3x a day? Probably a bad idea.”
“Halo 3 27 hours a day may cause seizures and wrist problems.”
Now that I think of it, won't matter though. Idiots still sue McDonald’s over hot coffee they were warned about. Fuck it.
We're doomed.
By
Anonymous, at October 20, 2007 at 3:51 PM
@HJ: You and I often have no idea what's being advertised.
But I've been assured that that's just because we're not afflicted with high blood pressure/restless leg syndrome/dyspepsia or whatever it is the drug treats.
eg. If you're in the target, you'll know what the drug is for.
@MTLB: Not sure of where your argument is going. The patient still has to go to the doctor to get a prescription and the pharmacist to pick it up. If the doctor doesn't think it's the right course of treatment, she's under no obligation to write the prescription.
By
Alan Wolk, at October 23, 2007 at 8:49 AM
My fave is still the med students talking with their professor and one says the obligatory "ask your doctor" line. Bummer about the art TOS. Everything I want on the net these days comes with enough legal to support a mortgage closing.
By
Anonymous, at October 24, 2007 at 12:26 PM
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