Pharma Marketing Disclaimer Overload

Disclaimer Overload

Please note: this blog post is not intended to be right, wrong or indifferent. Never read this blog while operating heavy equipment or machinery. Do not drive while reading this blog. If you ever read this blog for more than four hours, please call your physician immediately!

Do those rambling creative disclaimers do us any good? Or are they all systematically drowned out of consumer attention as being irrelevant?

I have one of those questions that (I think) most consumers have had in the back on their minds for the past few years and no one has really asked of the pharma marketing industry. Here goes:

The essential value of direct to consumer advertising in the pharma category is that each individual patient is more focused (if not riveted) on his own ailment of situation and pharmaceutical needs than a doctor can be. The simple reason is not that a doctor is any less qualified than the patient on the subject—its simply that the patient is more attuned to his own situation than his doctor.

Have you ever noticed that once you buy a new car—suddenly you see the same brand and model cars all over the highway? This isn’t because there are suddenly more of them out there—its simply because you are more attuned, more focused on this brand of car—because you just bought one. Call it self interest if you will. It’s human nature to focus on those things that are or immediate interest to you.

This is why DTC marketing in the pharma category works. The patient becomes the eyes and ears of the doctor--the funnel if you will. The doctor still decides, recommends, advises, and rules out the ideas that are not suitable for the patient. Still, what does it hurt to have a well informed patient throwing ideas at a busy physician?

Here’s my question: If the doctor is the decider and if the patient is simply bringing up ideas, why do we, as consumers of both pharmaceuticals (and of media), need the bombardment of disclaimers thrown at us at the end of every ad? Consumers can’t run out and buy these drugs—they still need to be prescribed by a physician.

Add to this the fact that no one listens to the disclaimers anyway—I can’t seem to figure out why all these disclaimers are needed.

(Disclaimer: Respond to this at your own risk)