Advertising License-to-Irresponsibility

My tweetbaiters are aware that I hate ads of emergency contraceptive pills.

Recently, there has suddenly been a slew of ads in the prime-time that sing paeans to the same. Companies have come all out and are using different positioning strategies to talk about the benefits.

And somehow the message that comes through always is that have unprotected sex and have the pill immediately after to avoid pregnancy. WTF?

Two companies are currently hogging all prime-time TV spots racing to be market leaders in this segment. What totally plooked me was a third company's ad I caught yesterday.

These ads are raw - they talk of the insecurity from unsafe sex, the omigosh of an oops pregnancy, and the ease of preventing the later oops.

But nowhere do the ads say:

'DO NOT HAVE UNSAFE SEX'.

or

'DO NOT USE THE PILLS AS A MATTER OF HABIT.'

or

'ABSTINENCE'

or

'THERE CAN BE UNDESIRABLE SIDE EFFECTS OF USING THESE PILLS.'

or

'THE MAN DOES NOT GET PREGNANT, THE WOMAN BEARS THE BRUNT.'

or

'BE INFORMED'

or

'WHAT GROWS IN THE WOMB IS NOT A WEED.'

or

'DO NOT TAKE THE PILLS WITHOUT TAKING MEDICAL ADVICE FIRST.'

or

'THESE PILLS ARE ZERO PROTECTION AGAINST STDs.'

or

'WHAT GROWS IN THE WOMB IS WHAT YOU ONCE WERE.'

It is not that these pills did not exist before. It is just that they had never been marketed this aggressively before.

And these pills make the transgressions look too simple. It gives a false sense of security to women who do not know that there could perhaps be some other consequences of the same.

Educate women about their options...do not give them escapist routes.

And I am surprised that no ethical code of conduct is applying on the marketers.

Emergency Contraceptive pills are for Emergencies, they are not meant to be taken as lightly as a tablet for cold and cough or muscle pain.

I can't find that exact video of the ad that wants me to set my TV on fire, but these few will do too - All beautifully directed, all misleading.








^WiseGuy^