| Swimming the channels, greased with snake oil
Wednesday, 17 Jan 2007
Viagra-style drugs feature prominently on
prime-time television. One for Cialis promotes that its effect
works for 36 hours. "So if a playful moment turns into
the right moment, you can be ready."
The advertisement shows an older couple,
somewhere between a playful moment and the right moment, coming
home to find their entire family there.
Last year, an advertisement for Levitra, another Viagra-type
drug, appeared to be marketing the drug towards men's partners.
It featured an woman speaking directly to the camera. She
says: "For a strong, lasting experience, Buy
Levitra". Want ot know more read levitra
information. That's as close as you are likely to get to advertising
a recreational drug.
In Australia, advertising prescription drugs
directly to the consumer is banned. The arguments against
such advertising are that it attempts to create a demand where
none exists, or that it creates a society which looks to pills
to solve ills, instead of changing unhealthy lifestyles. With
drug companies spending billions, you won't find too many
American media outlets arguing against it.
And advertising for prescription medicines
is positively restrained by comparison with other advertising.
Some of it is relatively benign snake-oil salesmanship: does
anybody believe the claims of shampoo manufacturers anymore?
Source::
http://www.smh.com.au/news/
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