Why do most drug commercials show video clips of people living their wonderful lives in slow motion?

‘Cause drugs can make you drowsy. But seriously, it’s considered “arty.” It makes a very serious subject—health—seem lighter.

I have never seen an American drug commercial, but drug commercials in my country are amost the same as what you describe. I’m not sure if they are in slow motion, but they take a lot of time showing people living happy lives after taking the drugs, about half the time of the commercial.

My guess is that drugs to them are just another kind of selling products. And they are here for them to make money. So like other kinds of products, who would ever want customers to know their products have flaws? And the speedy side-effect reading is just there for anyone who complains why they don’t warn them.

Most of the ones seem to tell you to “see your doctor if Drug-x is right for you” and not bother to tell you what ailment it supposedly treats.

When I see an ad for a prescription drug, I (cynically) think, “There goes big pharma again, trying to tell me that I need to tell my doctor what treatment I have for a condition that may not exist.”

I don’t think I am being overly cynical. The side-effect warnings are read to be like “fine print” in a print ad.

I never think I need the drug, no. But I haven’t noticed the commercials are in slow motion. If they are, maybe they do that because they don’t have much to show of the victims’ lives so they slow it down to fill up the time slot. I notice the warnings much more since they’re polar opposites of what fabulous life changing things will occur if you purchase the drug. As in, “take this drug and it will change your life but you could die from it. ” Which is, of course, a life change.

Please watch the next few ads carefully. All the “happy campers” are in slo-mo: riding a bicycle, running, smiling, etc. And these are meds to treat: allergies, Type II diabetes,. blood pressure, cholesterol, even weak “winkies”. All are in slowed action by about 25–50%.
That is just too many to be coincidence. The companies have infinite money to employ or hire marketing talent. They no doubt ran focus groups. What is it about slo-mo they think is so important?
Does it lull you into letting the side effects disclaimers slide by you unnoticed?

Mods: Thank you for finding and letting me correct that error. It would have driven me crazy!

Maybe they’re equating “floating” with joy and ecstasy. They want you to feel if you take their drug it’ll feel like you’re on painkillers? Which, by the way, is a feeling I don’t like.

My friend Susan used to add this to commercials:
“If you have an erection that lasts for more than 4 hours, call me.”

Slow-Motion: To show that the drugs are so great, and so life transforming, that those who take it now enjoy every second of their oh-so-awesomely-improved lives.
And the side-effects are rattled down so quickly because they do not want you to know about them (because those might convince you not to buy their pills), but are legally required to list them.

I think because life lived at regular speed is can be hectic and crazy. By slowing down the motion, it makes the commercial to be almost like a dream-like state.

Take a look at the imagery on some Viagra and Cialis ads. They can’t show a man with an erection, so they show guys cocking an arrow (sorry) and getting ready to shoot it, or a pointy-shaped rowboat or large chess pieces.

Not even remotely subtle.

Beyond the slow motion (which I think is meant to give imagery of relaxation, dreamy, happy lives that are not hectic or realistic…I mean, who has that free time to move that slow?) ...I want to point out the question that bothers me more:

Why are we the only country in the world that inundates TV viewers with advertising for drugs? When I see commercials or adverts for relatively rare conditions (I’ve seen a number of 3 page ads in People magazine for Linzess, a medication for IBS-C, relatively rare)...and TV ads for Psoriasis and anticoagulants, Hepatitis C…I just think: WHY?

Why isn’t this something that your doctor and/or pharmacist should determine? Why are you advertising to the general population who should NOT be looking for a name brand new medication necessarily. Gah.

And, as the daughter of a doctor can I just say that Pharmaceutical companies are so icky sometimes. They hire fresh-out-of-college BEAUTIFUL girls to go visit clinic docs or hospital practitioners to push some new (not yet available in generic form, hence expensive) medication. They give away goodies (freebie medications, freebie pens, hats, notepads and more)...sometimes they even help sponsor “medical conferences” in Hawaii. This is just not okay! When you’re unable to buy life-sustaining medications because of the exorbitant prices think hard about how much that drug company spent on marketing when instead they could have made it more affordable for the patients that actually need it.

Lastly, what galls me the most is that we have all these research and advertising dollars focused on giving old men erections rather than curing juvenile diabetes or better prevention and treatment for Lyme disease..Or how about some new innovative cancer cures!

It’s all because there are lots of old men (hello Baby Boomers) with money.

Gah. Makes me crazy. It’s morally WRONG. Big Pharma should spend that money helping the world cure malaria in Africa. Spend money finding medications to eradicating Guinea-worm disease…not advertising during prime time when ads cost huge sums of money.

Those commercials usually feature codgers my age and beyond. The slow motion is there because the way we move in real time is not flattering. We also have trouble tracking fast moving objects. And of course it’s always gratifying to watch folks pokier than ourselves.

What I love is how the side effects are listed in size 2 font and stretch on for ever, like this: ….....................................................................................................................................................
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Actually after listening to all the side effects, I usually make a note to myself to never bother with the drug. Asprins, sometimes zertec, herbs and vitamins is the most I ever take. I’ve seen all too often how one drug helps one problem and develops into 2 bigger problems requiring more drugs.

@geeky_mama Why are we the only country in the world that inundates TV viewers with advertising for drugs?

Because we are the only country in the world with a campaign system that makes the lawmakers beholden to the Big 3…Big Pharma, Big Agri-business, and Big Bucks!

Also, don’t forget that corporations are people, my friend (Mitt Romney), and Money is free speech

I’m certain they’ve done studies to figure out which type of commercial best meets their target audience. But in the end, It’s all about profit for Big Pharma. And certainly NOT about our health. Although they try to convince you their drugs are good for us.

All this, and yet the FDA is perfectly fine with these shenanigans. Is it my imagination or am I the only one who distrusts the FDA?

I’m a little worried about the tone and single-minded hatred of pharmaceutical companies being shown here. It seems like it’s politically correct to bash them. That bothers me.

There are a lot of really good and effective drugs. More are needed, and more are developed each year. They are expensive to develop and test.

Yes, I pay more for my drugs than I wish. But I am damn glad that someone did the research and development to create them so that I can benefit can stay alive.

So before you slam drug companies – particularly big ones – please keep in mind that they manufacture a lot of things that help people live longer and better lives.

According to a study by York University, the US pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion than it does on research and development. Source
Excerpts:
Big Pharma Spends More On Advertising Than Research And Development, Study Finds
Date: January 7, 2008
Source: York University, “The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States,” appears in the January 3, 2008 issue of PLoS Medicine, an online journal published by the Public Library of Science.
Summary:
” A new study estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion as it does on research and development, contrary to the industry’s claim.”

“The U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent 24.4% of the sales dollar in 2004 on promotion, versus 13.4% for research and development, as a percentage of US domestic sales of US$235.4 billion. The study’s findings supports the position that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry is marketing-driven and challenges the perception of a research-driven, life-saving, pharmaceutical industry. ”
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With such a large marketing budget it would not be surprising to find a significant sum going to influence politicians.
Big Pharma does spend some money on the researchers in the lab wearing clean while lab coats But, they spend much, much more trying to influence doctors, patients, politicians, shareholder, etc that the product is needed.

Aw, LuckyGuy don’t be cynical now! Haha!

Meanwhile Cuba developed a lung cancer vaccine that costs them 1$ a shot.