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Advertising…from pop-up ads online to glossy double-page spreads in magazines to television commercials—we can’t seem to escape the constant barrage of companies trying to sell us stuff.
In 2017 companies spent 206 billion dollars on advertising in our country. So advertising must work or why would so much money be invested in it?
But consider this riddle: What industry spent six billion dollars in direct-to-consumer advertising for products that consumers cannot actually buy directly? That’s right — you cannot go to any store and just purchase this product. You cannot place an online order. And no, (the horror!) Amazon.com can’t even send you some via two-day free shipping.
Give up? The answer is Big Pharma—the prescription drug industry.
So why would direct-to-consumer advertising be cost-effective when everyone needs a middleman (our doctor) to provide a permission slip (the prescription) in order to complete the sale? Cha-ching.
Because we see the ads, in whatever form, and think, “Maybe I have that disorder or illness.” OR “Perhaps I could stop this sensible diet that keeps my condition in check and take that pill instead.” And the ever popular, “Why yes, I’d enjoy sitting in a bathtub at the ocean’s edge to watch the sun sinking into the horizon.” (See link below regarding the Cialis bathtub commercial.)
One research study even asked this direct question of its participants: “Has an ad for prescription drugs ever caused you to ask a doctor about a medical condition or illness that you had not discussed with a doctor previously?”
The National Institute of Health states that prescription drug ads rank #1 in the ways Americans receive our most prominent health information. And did you know that the United States and New Zealand are the only two countries where direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is legal?
If the pharmaceutical industry spends six billion a year on advertising, you can bet your last placebo that they’re not spending that money to help us feel better or have more productive lives.
This issue is so important that I’m going to make it a two-part article. Watch for Tuesday’s post on our over-prescribed nation.
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Cialis bathtub response from Psychology Today
This is so true and so very scary. We all know that this country is over-medicated. The situation with ADHD spread like a wildfire. So many children were prescribed with tranquilizers so the busy parents didn’t have to spend as much time with their children. That involved a quick diagnosis, and a faster prescription. We refused to open that door, and guess what , our children grew up anyway and became good citizens. I am glad you raised this issue Norma. You always are right on target. The big issue for this generation, is it the illegal drugs or the prescription drug abuse? Both need to be rectified quickly!