We see a succession of people rise and shine–well maybe not shine. But they’re awake, a bit bleary eyed, reaching for a cup of coffee to get jump started.
These parallel slices of life continue as each person has run out of milk, creamer or soy milk to put in their coffee so it’s off to their cars–looking a bit disheveled, having just rolled out of bed–to go to the store to get some milk, creamer or whatever to add to their java.
Each person has a distinctly different VW as their vehicle, going through the same mannerisms behind the wheel, arriving at various stores and grabbing their milk product of choice. Then it’s back in their respective VWs, deftly maneuvering around some obstacles for a reunion with that cup of coffee back home.
“We’re all the same but different,” notes the spot, which was directed by Sam Peacocke of Robber’s Dog for agency DDB New Zealand.
New FDA Rules To Take Effect For TV Drug Commercials
Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications' risks and side effects.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are designed to do away with industry practices that downplay or distract viewers from risk information.
Many companies have already adopted the rules, which become binding Nov. 20. But while regulators were drafting them, a new trend emerged: thousands of pharma influencers pushing drugs online with little oversight. A new bill in Congress would compel the FDA to more aggressively police such promotions on social media platforms.
"Some people become very attached to social media influencers and ascribe to them credibility that, in some cases, they don't deserve," said Tony Cox, professor emeritus of marketing at Indiana University.
Still, TV remains the industry's primary advertising format, with over $4 billion spent in the past year, led by blockbuster drugs like weight-loss treatment Wegovy, according to ispot.tv, which tracks ads.
Simpler language and no distractions
The new rules, which cover both TV and radio, instruct drugmakers to use simple, consumer-friendly language when describing their drugs, without medical jargon, distracting visuals or audio effects. A 2007 law directed the FDA to ensure that drug risk information appears "in a clear, conspicuous and neutral manner."
FDA has always required that ads give a balanced picture of both benefits and risks, a requirement that gave rise to those long, rapid-fire lists of side effects parodied on shows like "... Read More