It seems that Dr. Jarvik of Lipitor commercial fame isn't all that people might think he's cracked up to be. Turns out that while he's a respected medical researcher and inventor, he's never actually had a license to practice medicine. Anyone who's watched those ads might find that to be a little surprising.
And those ads where he's rowing on peaceful body of water? Ain't him. And ain't never gonna be him, 'cuz Dr. Jarvik doesn't row... at all. The dude you see rowing is a body double.
What kills me is Pfizer's (and their ad agency's) inability to say, "Hey - we screwed up." Pressured by Congress, this is what the spokesperson for the company had to say about Pfizer's decision to pull the Jarvik campaign (on which they've already spent close to $140 million dollars):
"The way in which we presented Dr. Jarvik in these ads has, unfortunately, led to misimpression and distractions..."
Oh. So it was the customer's fault. Glad we cleared that up.
Look for increased pressure on companies to produce campaigns that are authentic and transparent, especially if the upcoming presidential election creates the shift in our society that many are predicting will happen. Holly and I sure see it - we've even devoted an entire chapter on the subject in our new book.
Michele Miller
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