Telling Dieters a Pill Works Only if They Work, Too

Alli–the first weight-loss drug to be approved by the Food and Drug
Administration for sale in the U.S. with no prescription necessary–will be
introduced in stages by seven agencies over the next year to the tune of $150
million.

GlaxoSmithKline owns the rights to Alli, which is pronounced
like “ally,” as in a helper or associate. It works by preventing the body from
absorbing some of the fat one eats.

The campaign is centered on an
elaborate Web site, myalli.com. There are also television commercials, direct
mailings, print advertising, books, online ads, displays in stores and
information being provided to health care professionals.

The campaign
appeals to potential Alli customers to educate themselves on using the product
and improving their dieting techniques, as well as their eating habits. The
myalli.com Web site takes a just-the-facts tone: “You don’t just try Alli–you
commit to it,” one Web page declares. And the dedication page of a 152-page
book, “Are You Losing It?”, published by GlaxoSmithKline, refers to “the most
important element of successful weight loss: you.”

Telling Dieters a Pill Works Only if They Work, Too – New York Times
FOR decades, the beauty industry was described as — or accused of — selling “hope in a jar.” Now, a marketing blitz with a budget estimated at more than $150 million in the first year will try to persuade dieters to seek hope in a pill bottle despite widespread skepticism about the grandiose promises of diet pills, plans and potions.

Filed under: advertising, diet, drugs, Men, trends, Women

Kicking an Addiction, With Real People

One pharmaceutical company is taking a cue from the consumer-generated media craze. GlaxoSmithKline is airing commercials for its NicoDerm patches staring real people who kicked smoking by using the product.

With some rather graphic PSA’s running on TV for New York’s quit smoking initiative, it will be interesting to see what kinds of messages consumers will see in 2007 when it comes to smoking and other health-related issues.

~A

Kicking an Addiction, With Real People – New York Times

Smokers are lectured enough by nonsmokers, so some advertisers say the best way to persuade people to give up cigarettes is to tell the stories of other smokers.

Filed under: advertising, Consumer, drugs, TV, UGM

MediaPost Publications – Merck To Women: ‘Get Vaccinated,’ Be ‘One Less’ Cancer Statistic – 11/14/2006

MediaPost Publications – Merck To Women: ‘Get Vaccinated,’ Be ‘One Less’ Cancer Statistic – 11/14/2006

Merk & Co. launched a nationwide campaign yesterday for its Gardasil vaccine yesterday that plays up a theme of female empowerment.

Gardasil is the first vaccine that helps protect against diseases caused by four strains of HPV virus.

portray strong and confident everyday female athletes and mothers and their daughters discussing Gardasil as the vaccine that can help protect you from the four types of viruses that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers.

The ad broke during Guiding Light and called for women to “Get Vaccinated.”

“Each year in the U.S., thousands of women learn they have cervical cancer,” says a young woman skateboarder, facing the camera. “I could be one less. One less statistic.” Another vignette in the TV spots depicts girls skipping rope on a sidewalk and chanting: “O-N-E-L-E-S-S. I want to be one less. One less.”

Filed under: advertising, drugs, Moms, Women, Young Adults

Drug Makers Raise Ad Spending – WSJ.com

Drug Makers Raise Ad Spending – WSJ.com
Associated Press
October 6, 2006; Page B4

NEW YORK — Pharmaceutical companies increased advertising spending by 9% in the first half of this year, suggesting they no longer feel constrained by complaints raised after the landmark withdrawal of the pain medicine Vioxx.

Spending rose to $2.46 billion in the six-month period as drug makers devoted larger portions of their budgets to magazine ads and poured more funds into campaigns to promote their images and disease awareness, according to TNS Media Intelligence. In the first six months of 2005, spending was essentially flat at $2.26 billion.

Filed under: advertising, drugs