Quick, Name That Hidden Product
2 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 20th, 2007 // 2:15 pm
So here’s a pharma pop quiz for you? Can you find the product placement in this picture from the ‘Scrubs’ TV show? Do you recognize the symbol? Do you recall the product name?
The answer: Organon’s Nuvaring. This is an interesting example of stealth marketing - and its aimed at both consumers and docs. Sure, anyone unfamiliar with the contraceptive device, or birth control, for that matter, won’t get it. But plenty of people do pay attention to birth control, and may recognize the symbol in a doctor’s office.
As for docs, they probably recognize it. Whether it prompts them to favor the product is another story. But Organon has been placing Nuvaring on TV show sets for a couple of years. And as brand director Lisa Barkowski told BrandWeek’s Jim Edwards last month: “A lot of the feedback we get is from healthcare professionals. They mention it to (our) reps: ‘Wow, I saw that poster.’ It reinforces in their mind; it makes them think of the product.”
What do you think? Is this sort of placement effective? And if so, for which viewing segment?
Further reading…
BrandWeek article;
Nuvaring product info.
Hat tip to The Well-Timed Period and John Mack at Pharma Marketing.[tags]Nuvaring, Organon, Product Placement, Scrubs, Stealth Marketing[/tags]
ema
I say, no.
Patients unfamiliar with Nuvaring won’t get the ad and won’t be able to seek further info on this method.
Ob/Gyns are already familiar with the product. (It’s our job to know about these things, from sources other than TV ads.)
And just to nip this meme in the bud: it’s irrelevant which method, if any, we favor. The only relevant factor when you recommend a particular contraceptive is a patient’s unique set of circumstances. You fit the method to the patient, not the patient to the method.
ed
Hi ema,
Thanks for writing. It’s always reassuring to hear a doc say they ignore the marketing when deciding how to treat a patient. Nowadays, the drumbeat of accusations and criticism makes it increasingly, and disturbingly, easy to imagine its the other way around.
Regards,
ed