We’ve all seen them on TV, the prescription drug commercials that make you say to yourself, this is soooooo cheesy…
First, a miserable, suffering actor is shown on the screen. They suffer from depression, irritable bowel syndrome, maybe even Crohn’s disease, the list goes on. The actor is shaped by their illness, clearly alienated and not enjoying their time on the commercial like the supporting actors who live without the illness
Then BOOM, here comes the advertising.
A happy, go lucky, skipping-through-fields-of-flowers-esque metamorphosis comes over the actor as the voice over introduces you to the drug. The actor is transformed into a joyful result of Humira, Viagra, Lyrica etc. And then comes the speedy voice over listing the side effects which are often worse than the condition the medication is supposed to treat; but yet the actor is still smiling and walking peacefully on the beach, completely delusional to the fact that even though their ailment is treated, they have strokes, heart attacks, and hair loss to look forward to.
Take this TV commercial for Humira as an example, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The woman is clearly distraught in the first segment pre-Humira, and post-Humira her world is transformed into euphoria.
Prescription drug commercials bring to mind two questions, 1) how does the narrative the commercial creates affect our perception of the product advertised and 2) is it ethical for the commercial to present these narratives as a marketing tool?
The world of advertising is no stranger to narratives. Companies cash in on our human nature to bond with stories that resonate with our own. Narrative ethics assumes that an individual’s life is guided by stories about the way the world is or how it should be, which protects and promotes the good of learning. In the world of pharmaceuticals, the narratives are created in commercials showing how the world should be for those who suffer from ailments that are treated by their product. Stories are a way for us to communicate with each other and build relationships, and these narratives play on the human concept of togetherness that we all possess in our inner core. The narratives created in the pharmaceutical commercials draw in the consumer as they see themselves reflected in the actor’s experiences, and ultimately buy into the product.
However, the ethics of these commercials are questionable. There is a clear narrative in the first minute and a half of the commercial, but the side effects of these advertised drugs are left out of the story. The side effects are read at a fast-forward pace, with the actor still in post-treatment bliss. There is no narrative for us to connect to for the side effects. The consumer can be so caught up in the possibility of living like the actors that they ignore the side effects that come with the medication. Big Pharma has always had questionable ethics, take the Big Pharma Game that pokes fun at the “business etiquette” of pharmaceuticals. By creating a story that sheds only positive light on prescription drugs while the side effects hide in the shadows of the commercial, Big Pharma plays both sides of narrative ethics. Television advertisement ethical standards will always be a topic of discussion surrounding prescription drug companies until the narrative in the commercials portrays the actor in post-treatment bliss with the side effects of the medication. But until then, we will be waiting.
-Kayla M
IMC Hawks Blog 
I never noticed, but all drug commercials start out and end like that. But I do believe there could be change potentially on how there allowed to portray the product. For example with cigarette commercials on TV, before they were banned they always promoted a happy person and normally a punch line of If you smoke this cigarette, you will enjoy life or this cigarette is recommended by these doctors and are less irritating on the throat. However as long as these big companies have lobbyists that back politicians, then nothing will probably change.
I’ve never thought about the drug commercials in this way before. I have noticed that the side-effects never seem to be that scary or very important at all when listed in the commercials, but I only contributed that to the fact that they are usually spoken in sped-up or light, breezy voices. Focusing on the narrative in the commercial really puts it into perspective. Making these commercials and including narrative about the side-effects would definitely resonate with the viewer much differently. I wonder if there is a way to create an effective commercial for these products that informs viewers about possible bad effects as strongly as it does the good ones.
*attributed
This is a great post. I am a huge advocate against big pharma companies like the ones you describe. I completely agree that these companies are unethical and are mainly in this business for the money. Sure, they don’t want to broadcast the actors in their commercials as having all of these side effects, and I used to think that that was because the side effects were so uncommon that there really wasn’t a need to. However, as I have gotten older and have started having more problems with my body and mind that have required medication, I have begun to realize that these side effects are more common than most may think. For instance, I took an ADHD medication that literally made me throw up every meal I would have after it. Recently, I began to take another medication that would make me throw up randomly, without feeling any nausea at all. Not only are they not making side effects as big of a deal as they should, these companies also hike up the prices to whatever they desire in order to make money off of those that cannot afford it. This is completely unethical and it NEEDS to be stopped.