Pfizer's back door approach

Jun/10/2008 09:36

So what do you do when your brand is being talked about negatively in the press and on social media sites? Well first you hold a round table that only has one side and then you launch a back approach to advertising with general disease information that leads people to your brand. This back door marketing approach has no respect for people’s intelligence and stinks. Rather than address the issues head on Pfizer has chosen to ignore it with double talk.

Yesterday’s NBC Nightly News was sponsored, with limited commercial interruptions, by Pfizer with “My Time to Quit” commercials. On the website there is some good information and under prescription options it leads visitors right into the Chantix website. I wonder how many people who click on that stay and actually go deep into the site vs. those that see it is a front for Chantix and leave quickly ?

screenshot_02

At the “round table” that Pfizer sponsored they dictated their beliefs about Chantix. Rather than sit down and ask the people what they think should be done given the negative information Pfizer came across as arrogant and only concerned about protecting the sales dollars of the brand. Note to Pfizer: transparency does not mean cloudy or foggy.

What is really sad about this campaign is that Pfizer is completely ignoring the empowered smart people who know about the possible negative side effects of Chantix. Hmmmm, I could stop smoking or take a drug that may want to make me commit suicide, ohhh, wait..Pfizer says it’s may not be the drug it maybe people who stop smoking get depressed and rather than light up they want to kill themselves. I guess I’ll take a chance then....NOT !

This is really bad DTC that ignores the environment and tells rather than engages in conversation. Shame on the Chantix DTC team.