While I was in the gym one morning, a commercial for Symbicort came onto one of the television screens. Symbicort is a medication that was created to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease (COPD). What was striking about this particular commercial was that it utilized a cartoon of the Big Bad Wolf from the Little Red Riding Hood story. Here's the video of the commercial below:
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7CM2/symbicort-wolf
This isn't the only instance of a medication commercial using animation. The drug, Abilify, also includes animation in its ads:
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7oAZ/abilify-add-abilify
It is an interesting approach away from the traditional medication commercial that would include a typical user and their story. The Symbicort commerical is clever in using the Big Bad Wolf as a victim of COPD and advertising their medicine through that story. However, what is the deal with the use of animation in the Abilify commercial? Usually when I see a cartoon, I expect it to be visually happy or funny. A woman suffering from depression is not something that you would usually see in a cartoon. So what is the benefit or advertising power that comes from using animation such as what is seen in these two examples?
I have often wondered why the Abilify people chose a relatively "happy" medium to show the draggingly depressed affect of a barely functional woman. You're onto something here, but I'm not sure what it is. Are we right to assume that most viewers associate animation with happiness (manga can be pretty dark, actually)? If so, why mix the two? Maybe people see the hope in her sloped shoulders because they're not actual shoulders? Maybe actresses can't effectively convey depression in a way that inspires people to take drugs?
ReplyDeleteAgain, so many questions. I appreciate your observation. More commercials (albeit in print) coming today . . .