To put the analysis of the direct-to-consumer ads (DTCAs) in context I
think it is relevant to include the experiences of real people with
prescription drugs. I began the interview with a description of my blog,
making sure to note that the blog was an analytical criticism of the
prescription drug advertisements, not the use of prescription drugs. I interviewed Amy (pseudonym).
Me: Thank you for talking with me about your experience with prescription drugs. Will you start by telling me about the medication you used and why you were taking it?
Amy: My doctor prescribed Zoloft to treat my depression. I was on it for a total of 5 months. Although it seemed to work at first, that could have just been a placebo. I didn't feel it helped my depression really.
Me: Did you experience any side effects from taking Zoloft?
Amy: The Zoloft was supposed to help stabilize my sleep patterns, but it never really helped. Actually, the reason I stopped taking it was because I started sleepwalking. I have never had that experience before, and it was scary and strange. It's also especially dangerous for me because I have trouble with my balance. I had a stroke about six years ago because of complications with a pregnancy. The stroke affected my brain stem near the cerebellum. The cerebellum controls large motor movements, and the stroke has caused balance problems.
The Zoloft also caused joint pain in my knees and shoulders and weight gain. I'm still struggling to lose the weight I gained while I was taking it. I was using the elliptical machine four times a week to try to lose the weight. Using the elliptical machine that frequently caused me to have more balance issues when I'm walking. I need to work out different muscle groups to help with the balance issues. I'm still working on how to do that at home.
After the interview Amy watched this Zoloft commercial and commented on how "happy" and light-hearted the ad is and how different and frustrating her experience with the drug was. "Frankly, I'm still bitter about the weight gain, and it [Zoloft] didn't help with the depression at all."
In analyzing this commercial, what I notice first is that it is animated. This differentiates it from daytime programs during which it probably aired. The animation makes it immediately attention grabbing. The pill-like character is kind of cute and looks sad. I feel empathy for it, and I want to keep watching to see why it is so sad. Visually the commercial is all white, black and gray with the exception of a bluebird that lands near the pill, looking concerned. The black drawing on a white background with a gray cloud overhead has a somber appearance, echoing the mood of the character. The cloud raining only on the pill is an obvious metaphor for feeling sad or depressed. The bright blue of the bird is visually attention grabbing and metaphorically represents hopefulness and joy that is within reach if you take Zoloft. Oddly, there is no music during the first part of the commercial. The music starts during the animation of a chemical imbalance in the brain. The music is syncopated, representing the movement of the imbalanced chemicals. As the narrator explains the imbalance and how Zoloft can help, the music and chemicals begin to flow rhythmically. The narrator goes on to describe the side effects while the music is playing and the pill character is going happily on its way.
The animation of a chemical imbalance is crude, just two fist shapes facing each other, labeled "Nerve A" and "Nerve B" with circles (brain chemicals) moving from left to right between them. The imbalance occurs when some of the circles move to the right, then back to the left. The bottom of the screen says "Dramatization". This animation, though simple, gives medical credibility to the manufacturers of the drug. They can "see" inside the brain and know what is happening when someone feels depressed. The complex action of nerve cells in the brain are rendered in a way everyone can understand, and they have the solution: "Prescription Zoloft works to correct this imbalance" (Pfizer, 2003). They never say how Zoloft works, only that it does. "Zoloft" appears above the nerve cells and the chemicals begin flowing from left to right again, so we can see that it is working. The chemical imbalance animation offers important "scientific" support for the claims the drug manufacturer is making about its product, and it is attention grabbing because it is different from the narrative of the pill-like character. It is a story within a story that keeps our attention because we want to know how it ends. This commercial is only 60 seconds long but has been carefully crafted to grab our attention and keep it. I wonder if these tiny narratives and constant bids for our attention are making our attention spans shorter as we long for more and more stimulation.
“Zoloft – Cloud.” Zoloft/Pfizer. (2003). Commercial. Retrieved from: http://youtu.be/6vfSFXKlnO0
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