Corrective Advertising Really a Punishment?
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The FDA and 27 attorney general ordered Bayer to produce a six-month, $20 million corrective advertising campaign for the birth control pill Yaz. The FDA decided that Bayer’s marketing and advertising for Yaz was deceptive and made false claims regarding its efficacy for acne and pms. The company’s corrective campaign started in late Janurary and is scheduled to end July 26.
However, I wonder whether requiring more ads for this pill is really much of a punishment. Consumers most likely will not realize that the campaign they are watching was a corrective ad that Bayer was forced to run. Wouldn’t it be a better punishment and greater deterrent to restrict a company from running ads for a certain period of time? Furthermore, I usually find the promotion of pharmaceuticals questionable in the first place. Maybe ads for birth control aren’t as bad, but campaigns for various drugs often seem odd to me. If you need a certain kind of medication shouldn’t your doctor simply be able to inform you of that, not a television commercial.
3 Comments
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:57 am
I actually just saw this ad on TV and come on here to talk about it — I think it was pretty obviously a corrective Ad. I was completely checked out, and then heard the actress say something along the lines of “the FDA wants us to clarify few issues about Yaz…” I found it interesting in that I was aware that they were clarifying issues, but at the same time they were promoting their product. I really can’t guess if these ads will change consumers’ behaviors, but it is definitely an interesting issue going on in the Advertising world right now.
February 24th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Is the FDA making them run ads though or just making the ads that they do run be corrective??? Because i agree if they are making them run corrective ads then they are for sure helping promote the product overall and if they are not making them run the ads then it is great the Yaz is stepping up and taking the fault for their mistake of false advertising.. What other products do you think could get in trouble soon for false advertising??
February 28th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I think its a great idea if the FDA is making them run the corrective ads. I do not think it is ok to temporarily restrict their advertising and basically lay low until the issue blows over and then begin advertising again. It is important for a company to take responsibility for their actions and admit to their mistakes. And honestly, Yaz just gained a lot more credibility for admitting their mistakes and I would be more likely to trust them knowing that (a) they are closely monitored and regulated and (b) they come forth and admit their wrongdoings and (c) they are about to make changes. With all of these fusing together it seems as though there is a making of a trustworthy brand.