OMG! You have eye mites! 👀
Relax. We all do. And Big Pharma has a commercial to address this 'not too serious' problem.
This is essay #109
People, we can’t obsess about America’s demise 24/7. (Even though I have been. 🤷🏼♀️)
Let’s talk about something else… like the comical nature of drug commercials. I see a lot of new subscribers have joined our community, so welcome! I’m glad you’re here!
If you’ve been seeing some drug commercials lately that leave you scratching your head, you are NOT alone. When this ad popped up, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Watch this. Click here to view. Then let’s talk about.
The above spot is called “Your Mitey Problem” for a common condition called Demodex blepharitis (DB). The drug is called XDEMVY.
(Who names these products? How do you pronounce that?)
Right now, as you sit reading this, you have these eight-legged parasites living in or near the hair follicles on your face and eyes, near your eyelashes and eyebrows.
Don’t worry, though, because they only live, have sex, poop, and eat dinner for about two weeks. Feel better? 😂
Eye mites are a very common thing. But Big Pharma needs to make it a thing.
First, a little background on drug advertising:
• The FDA allowed drug commercials in 1997.
• Only the United States and New Zealand allow them to be broadcast.
• Drug companies spend ONE BILLION $$ A MONTH on ads. BILLION. 😳
• Three of the top five spenders on TV advertising were drug companies.
A ton has been written about pharma advertising. Critics say it’s often misleading. From Northeastern University:
The American Medical Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists have both urged in the last decade that direct-to-consumer drug advertising be banned, saying the ads essentially warp health information and communication about medications by pushing only the latest and most expensive drugs. Finally, the Food & Drug Administration will be requiring these ads to show less about benefits and more about the side effects and risks.
I’m not saying that eye lash mites aren’t a condition that needs attention, but this creative for “Your Mitey Problem” is just weird. What was the agency thinking who came up with this? It’s silly, off-putting and gave me a very negative feeling about the drug.
Drug commercials are the butt of the joke, too. SNL has it right. 😂
And Jardiance. I’m embarrassed for these people. Isn’t all this singing disrupting office productivity? 😂
And, where are all these happy people going? 🙄
At least Veozah has a more reasoned approach. Don’t joke with women about hot flashes unless you want to feel our wrath! It’s a real thing! 🥵 Note the disclaimers start at the 35 second mark. HALF of the spot is dedicated to what could happen to you if you take this stuff.
Jingles are for product memorability and brand awareness. When I had my agency, I explained to our college interns what jingles were, and how they were used to sell products. They stared blankly at me when I “sang” these:
“Mmmm Mmmm Good. Mmmm Mmmm Good”
“Plop plop fizz fizz, oh whatta relief it is”
Damn, I AM old.
I spent over 35 years in advertising, knowing people hate it. But the bottom line is that someone has to pay for the content you’re reading/watching. And to sell their stuff, businesses need to reach you. So, when we developed commercial work, it was done for a specific audience with a specific need.
I hate that pharma is even running commercials. It seems unethical, but the media LOVE the ad dollars. And if the new administration does away with the FDA, there go the guardrails that ensure some truth in drug advertising.
In the case of XDEMVY, dancing eye mites are a stretch, don’t you think? They thought “humor” was a good way to describe an icky condition? I shudder to think how much money they spent to produce this ad, too. But maybe they could remember that their audience isn’t third graders.
Ask your doctor is Susan Speaks is right for you. 😜
My late uncle Russ was a pharmacist. He had two retail drug stores that he operated for thirty years. Pretty conservative guy. I asked him years ago when they started advertising various drugs on TV if that was a good idea. In no uncertain terms he said it was a terrible thing. He was very angry about it.
Despite all the 'earworms' (those catchy jingles that invade our brains), that the advertising business dispenses to the viewer, there's an education factor, too: I learned what the perineum is. Of course there's a comedy element, like finding the mistakes in a Jardiance commercial. or just chortling over the list of side-effects. We need to look at commercials with a jaundiced eye - easily curable with their new miracle drugs.