Comments on: Vytorin Ads In The Supermarket Aisle

By: Dingle

Dingle — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:41:40 +0000

These types of tactics aren’t new. I’ve seen VYTORIN “shelf shouters”, as well as these tactics for many other brands, in pharmacies as well as supermarkets (typically those with pharmacies).

By: Neers87

Neers87 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:17:16 +0000

Vytorin ads in supermarkets!

Now that really does “take the cake”.

Would that imply this may be the final chapter? Can anyone sort out that reference; cake seems to be an apropos topic for the subject matter.

Neers87

By: Justice in MI

Justice in MI — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:15:47 +0000

Since my birthday party is tomorrow (even though event actually happened in May), I am particularly sensitive to the cake issue.

Thus, to avoid further uncertainty, chaos, overwarning, and a blow to innovation, I propose the following:

Eating one’s cake hereby preempts having it too.

Whether citizens should be allowed to horde unconsumed cake is a different question - thought not without public health implications. Perhaps some expiry date ought to be considered.

By: harpy

harpy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:46:51 +0000

The phrase’s earliest recording is from 1546 as “wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?” (John Heywood’s ‘A dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue’) alluding to the impossibility of eating your cake and still having it afterwards; the modern version (where the clauses are reversed) is a corruption which was first signalled in 1812.

Via Wikipedia

By: Another Idea

Another Idea — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:16:51 +0000

They should post them in public restrooms and portable pots. The hit rate would be really high with this new strategy.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:11:10 +0000

This seems like a FTC misbranding issue.

By: CV DOC

CV DOC — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:04:16 +0000

I think that they would get more for their buck if they started putting their dispensers in fast-food outlets. I can see them now - right on the wall where you pick up your fat, juicy burgers and geasy french fries. And they could hang them next to the drive-in window on the outside of the joint. It seems that they are trying to get around the scrutiny of the ads, but the question is whether or not DDMAC needs to review these materials before they post them anywhere? It may blow up in their faces if they haven’t done so prior to putting them out in front of the public. The FDA may be all over this one and Congress may join in.

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:23:23 +0000

Look. You’re all missing the point. You can have your cake (or pizza) and eat it too, BECAUSE you take Vytorin. Hence, Ed’s pizza box reminder ads and Jack2’s cake box ads. Now do you see? I hear the collective epiphany.

By: Justice in MI

Justice in MI — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:04:23 +0000

Re: the cake … Perhaps I’m a weirdly literal thinker (sign of psychosis), but I assumed it always meant what it said. Someone, say, who wants both the pleasure of having a wad of cash (sense of power, potential, anticipation, security) and the pleasure of spending it (on, say, pizza). Having the cake does have independent benefit (I won’t get into risk). One can look forward (perpetually) to the pleasure of eating it - and going off one’s Mediterranean diet - even while really having the pleasure of deating it. Kind of like a birthday party on Ground hog day.

I’m sure that has clarified the matter. Don’t get me into glass houses (in which ston–throwing always seemed to me the least of one’s problems).

Now, back to the supermarket. When Vioxx got pulled, it was all Celebrex, all the time, in the Rite Aide aisles. I don’t recall when they pulled their TV ads (before they returned), but I think there was some overlap. Perhaps not.

As I’ve mentioned, there was also a neat fake TIME magazine I found in a waiting room. It looked all the world like an actual TIME cover, but it was a “wrap” for Celebrex. You had to turn the page to get to the actual TIME cover.

One could think of this as having one’s time and spending it too.

By: Quibbler

Quibbler — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:53:44 +0000

Presumably if you have your cake without eating it, you’ll be saving it for later consumption. (Unless, that is, you have an interest-bearing cake account in which case you could just live off the cupcakes you get as interest.)

As for the exception that proves the rule, “prove” in this case refers to testing. That is, exceptions to a rule provide useful test cases by which we can assess the rule.

From Dictonary.com
“4. to subject to a test, experiment, comparison, analysis, or the like, to determine quality, amount, acceptability, characteristics, etc.”

This is the same usage as the saying
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Note that the saying “the proof is in the pudding” is an exceedingly annoying bastardization!