John Mack makes some good points about advertising here…how low do we have to go in essence to drive attention to the ads to sell Lyica, the approved drug for treatment of fibromyalgia?
Pfizer has recently upped the stakes in its campaign to depict fibromyalgia as a "real" medical condition. In an non-branded "disease awareness" TV ad that I saw last night, this point was hammered home by images of a woman showing black and blue bruises over her body. She says something like "Maybe if people saw me this way, they will believe that fibromyalgia is a real medical condition." What I saw were disturbing images reminiscent of battered woman syndrome. The whole thing smacked of desperation on Pfizer's part to sell more drugs and represents DTC advertising sinking to a new low in exploiting women's fears!
Pharma Marketing Blog: Battered Woman Imagery in Pfizer's New Fibromyalgia Ad
Hat Tip: Kevin, MD