It's that time again - time for me to lash out ruthlessly at commercials that irritate me. Today's targets: drug company ads that only state the name of the medication and do not even hint at its purpose, and drug company ads that bolster fear and unhappiness to sell products.
An example of the latter would be those commercials for clearing up toenail fungus. Now come on, who actually cares what color their toenails are? Am I ashamed to let my little tootsies see the light of day because they are a little yellowy? Not likely! However, from watching the commercials, you'd think that yellow toenails were a crime against humanity - all because someone came up with a drug to fix a problem that no one really looks at as a problem.
Claratin is a good example of the former commercial. Remember a few year ago when Claratin first came out? The commercials bandied the name about, showed some fluffy clouds and a profile of a woman's face, but didn't actually tell you what it intended to cure. Instead, you were instructed to ask your doctor about Claratin. This seems asinine to me. "Hey Doc, what is Claratin and do I need it? The TV says I have to ask you, and I always do what the TV says." Hmmm, too bad Claratin wasn't for schizophrenia - now that would have been an effective ad campaign.
There are other drugs now that take the same approach, none of which I can remember at the moment. Imagine if the drugs are for senility, or bad breath, or other less savory afflictions. Like I'm going to ask my doctor something potentially embarrassing if I don't need to! I have enough embarrassment as it is, thank you very much.
I can hear it now: "Doc, do I need Spanthlax?" "Why, are you having painful nasal discharge?" "NO! The TV told me to ask!" "Oh, hearing those voices again, are you, Jim? Well, I've got something here that will clear that right up."
Someday, some advertising genius will find a way to combine these two approaches. Then you'll get commercials that make you feel bad about yourself in some generic way, and the name of a drug without any indication that it will help. "Are you ugly? I don't mean homely - I mean ugly, butt-ugly, troll-ugly, turn-innocent-bystanders-to-stone-ugly. I mean UGLY! Ask your doctor about Trilexamorphin."
Which reminds me - it's time for my next Trilexamorphin dosage. I just wish it came in something other than the suppository form...
You can respond to my ranting here.
Where there's smoke, there's rant.