RE: Concept advertising (was Re: Non-competes)

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 09:30 PM 9/22/2003, Bill O'Neill wrote:
>It might be that writing prescriptions has gone beyond strictly MDs (NPs, 
>PAs).
>The idea of encouraging patients (or prospective ones) to push the docs 
>suggests
>that the pharmaceutical cos. know something that physicians don't about care.
>
>Bill O'Neill

Reaching back into my psychology training here...

Last time I checked, only a licensed MD can legally write 
prescriptions.  That's part of the major power an MD has.

However, these ads do encourage patients - many of whom start acting like 
hypochondriacs after seeing these ads - to badger their doctor into 
prescribing these drugs.  And, of course, "none of that old generic crap - 
I want the latest and best."


Touching back into broadcasting with the ad's psychological design...in 
some cases the patients start developing mild - even severe - psychosomatic 
symptoms (i.e. it's all in your head) after seeing the ads because they 
work just like any other ad: implant a feeling of need in the consumer, and 
then tout the product as the solution to that need.   So they're not even 
really aware that they're badgering their doctor for something they didn't 
need.


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Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA