Public-service marketing for drug firms
There weren't a whole lot of surprises at the Academy Awards, but one perfume ad got our attention. Why? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
GlaxosmithKline logo (GlaxosmithKline /AFP/Getty Images)
More on Marketing - Advertising
CORRECTION: Early broadcasts of this report misidentified the maker of the cervical-cancer vaccine Gardasil. It is Merck, not GlaxoSmithKline.
TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: Alrighty then, with the real news out of the way, on to what was actually talked about around the watercooler today. What happened last night at the Oscars, of course. Yeah, there were the dresses, and the speeches, and whatever it was that the hosts did. But as Academy Awards go, there weren't a whole lot of surprises, at least not during the show. The commercials were another story, especially that perfume ad.
Marketplace's Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
STACEY VANEK-SMITH: A woman lounges on a couch in a chiffon dress. She sees twinkling lights dancing in front of her and runs to follow them. They lead her to a ballroom. She twirls around, smiling. In the mist, she sees a pink perfume bottle. It spins around to reveal the words "cervical cancer."
AD: Maybe it's unfair to get your attention this way, but nothing's fair about cervical cancer. But there are ways to prevent it.
Namely Cervarix, a vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline, which ran the ad.
TRACY CHAPMAN: I have to say that the ad definitely stopped me in my tracks.
Tracy Chapman is a consultant for marketing firm Just Ask a Woman. She says the ad is an attention-getter. It never mentions Cervarix, rather it directs you an informational Web site for cervical cancer.
CHAPMAN: We could see this as a public service announcement but, we're smart enough to know that there's a product on the end. But I think allows women to feel good about choosing that brand because of what the company has offered them.
Pfizer just set up a similar site for Fibromyalgia and, yes, the company has a drug that treats that.
Michael Birkin is a brand strategist with Red Peak. He says the public-service approach helps drug companies avoid listing a litany of hair-raising side effects. And it makes them look virtuous.
MICHAEL BIRKIN: It's performing a public service, as well as helping sell your product. I suspect it's an approach that we're going to see more of.
By creating go-to information sites and online communities, companies can create strong relationships with consumers.
I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace.
Comments
Comment | Refresh
From Estes Park, CO, 03/09/2010
GSK or Merck it does not matter. Their HPV vaccines are dangerous and causing a perfect storm of damage in women's bodies.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100309/FDA-invites-Little-Women-to-present-research-on-dangers-of-HPV-vaccines.aspx
From Estes Park, CO, 03/09/2010
GSK or Merck it does not matter. Their HPV vaccines are dangerous and causing a perfect storm of damage in women's bodies.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100309/FDA-invites-Little-Women-to-present-research-on-dangers-of-HPV-vaccines.aspx
03/08/2010
Did anyone else notice the difference in the afternoon report vs. evening? I live in Southern California and my station airs Marketplace at 2pm & 5pm. Usually the same show,word for word. Not today. At 2pm this advertisement was associated with Gardasil. At 5pm it was associated with Cervarix, however there wasn't any explanation for the difference in reporting on air. There should have been.
From charlottesville, VA, 03/08/2010
There is an error in this story. GSK does not make Gardasil.
Gardasil (the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine) is manufactured by Merck.
Post a Comment: Please be civil, brief and relevant.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments are moderated. Marketplace reserves the right to edit any comments on this site and to read them on the air if they are extra-interesting. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting.
You must be 13 or over to submit information to American Public Media. The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party. For more information see Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.