Hard Sell, Soft Sell: Men Read Viagra Ads

Viagra (known generically as sildenafil citrate) was released in New Zealand in 1998. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements represented Viagra as a panacea for men's sexual difficulties. The Research Medicines Industry Association of New Zealand (2000) claims that the Viagra DTC campaign removed the stigma associated with erectile dysfunction. However, in this paper we analyse participants' views that the advertisements also transform cultural anxieties in ways that proliferate ‘performance’ (and other) anxieties in new forms and for increasingly broad groups of people. This paper draws on material from a reception study of male viewers' readings/interpretations of popular cultural representations of Viagra in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2002. The participants frame both the advertisements and the television program My Family as ‘peddling fear’ about sexual performance, and thus potentially ‘establishing a need ‘for a new drug. As one participant said: ‘Pfizer wants young men to start worrying about these things, stress creates erectile dysfunction, off you go.’ This indicates a need to consider how the critical responses of viewers/readers to advertising, particularly DTC drug advertising, may reflect the ‘exploitation’ of advertising by its audience in a way that simultaneously critiques a commodity (Viagra) and its associated cultural practices (creating erections through a pharmacological ‘solution’), as suggested by recent arguments in the media/cultural studies literature.

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Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising in a Global Context: A Comparison between New Zealand and the United States

SALUTE E SOCIETÀ ◽

10.3280/ses2009-en2013 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 189-207

Author(s):

Michael Murray

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

New Zealand ◽

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

The United States ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

Global Context ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Dtc Advertising ◽

Global Influence

- The pharmaceutical industry is a transnational industry with a global influence and interests in expanding their markets to include as much of the world's population as possible. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising is a potential tool for the global spread of industry conceptions of health and illness, and can be seen as both a cause and a result of globalization. Among developed countries, DTC advertising is currently only legal in New Zealand and the United States, but debates are taking place worldwide as the pharmaceutical industry uses its global influence to lobby for the lifting of bans. As individual countries with distinct cultures and local histories try to decide whether or not they should continue banning this form of advertising, it is important to understand the character and effects of DTC advertising in a global context. A comparison between the United States and New Zealand showed that despite differences in the process of regulation and the conditions and mechanisms through which DTC advertising came to be legal in the two countries, the resulting character and effects of the advertising were remarkably similar. Advertisements in both contexts turned out to be misleading, unbalanced with regard to risks and benefits, make appeals to emotions, and focus on lifestyle problems over serious conditions. The effects of the ads were also very similar, as both countries' DTC advertisements drove patients to request specific drugs and were correlated to rising prescription drug prices and health costs. This suggests that while glocalization may cause a divergence in the exact methods used in the ads to get the message across, the message and its effect will likely still reflect the pharmaceutical industry's grobal interests.Keywords: drugs advertising, pharmaceutical industry, drugs prescription, globalization, glocalization, grobalization.Parole chiave: pubblicitÀ sui farmaci, industria farmaceutica, prescrizioni di farmaci, globalizzazione, glocalizzazione, grobalizzazione.

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Introductory Comments: Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising: Evaluating Regulatory Policy in the United States and New Zealand

Journal of Public Policy & Marketing ◽

10.1509/jppm.21.2.172.17581 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 172-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joel B. Cohen

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

New Zealand ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Regulatory Policy ◽

The United States ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Prescription Drug Advertising

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Cytisine as an alternative smoking cessation product for Pacific smokers in New Zealand

Pacific Health Dialog ◽

10.26635/phd.2018.919 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 89-95

Author(s):

Vili Nosa ◽

Kotalo Leau ◽

Natalie Walker

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

New Zealand ◽

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Partial Agonist ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Liquid Form ◽

Pacific People ◽

The Pacific

ABSTRACT Introduction: Pacific people in New Zealand have one of the highest rates of smoking. Cytisine is a plant-based alkaloid that has proven efficacy, effectiveness and safety compared to a placebo and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation. Cytisine, like varenicline, is a partial agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and blocks the rewarding effects of nicotine. Cytisine is naturally found in some plants in the Pacific region, and so may appeal to Pacific smokers wanting to quit. This paper investigates the acceptability of cytisine as a smoking cessation product for Pacific smokers in New Zealand, using a qualitative study design. Methods: In December 2015, advertisements and snowball sampling was used to recruit four Pacific smokers and three Pacific smoking cessation specialists in Auckland, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews where undertaken, whereby participants were asked about motivations to quit and their views on smoking cessation products, including cytisine (which is currently unavailable in New Zealand). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with thematic analysis conducted manually. Findings: Pacific smokers reported wanting to quit for loved ones and family, but did not find currently available smoking cessation products effective. Almost all participants had not previously heard of cytisine, but many of the Pacific smokers were keen to try it. Participants identified with cytisine on a cultural basis (given its natural status), but noted that their use would be determined by the efficacy of the medicine, its cost, side-effects, and accessibility. They were particularly interested in cytisine being made available in liquid form, which could be added to a “smoothie” or drunk as a “traditional tea”. Participants thought cytisine should be promoted in a culturally-appropriate way, with packaging and advertising designed to appeal to Pacific smokers. Conclusions: Cytisine is more acceptable to Pacific smokers than other smoking cessation products, because of their cultural practices of traditional medicine and the natural product status of cytisine.

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Examining Online Traffic Patterns to Popular Direct-To-Consumer Websites for Evaluation and Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Sexual Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.esxm.2020.100289 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 100289

Author(s):

Joel J. Wackerbarth ◽

Richard J. Fantus ◽

Annie Darves-Bornoz ◽

Marah C. Hehemann ◽

Brian T. Helfand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Erectile Dysfunction ◽

Traffic Patterns ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Online Traffic

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Racism and silencing in the media in Aotearoa New Zealand

AlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples ◽

10.1177/11771801211015436 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 117718012110154

Author(s):

Liana MacDonald ◽

Adreanne Ormond

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Media Industry ◽

Racial Discourse ◽

European Descent ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

The Media ◽

The Subject ◽

New Zealanders

Racism in the Aotearoa New Zealand media is the subject of scholarly debate that examines how Māori (Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand) are broadcast in a negative and demeaning light. Literature demonstrates evolving understandings of how the industry places Pākehā (New Zealanders primarily of European descent) interests at the heart of broadcasting. We offer new insights by arguing that the media industry propagates a racial discourse of silencing that sustains widespread ignorance of the ways that Pākehā sensibilities mediate society. We draw attention to a silencing discourse through one televised story in 2018. On-screen interactions reproduce and safeguard a harmonious narrative of settler–Indigenous relations that support ignorance and denial of the structuring force of colonisation, and the Television Code of Broadcasting Practice upholds colour-blind perceptions of discrimination and injustice through liberal rhetoric. These processes ensure that the media industry is complicit in racism and the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples.

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Research on the Effects of Over-the-Counter Drug Advertising

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204267400400307 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 223-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Donald L. Kanter

Keyword(s):

Drug Misuse ◽

Pharmaceutical Advertising ◽

Drug Usage ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

The Social ◽

The Media ◽

Commercial Advertising ◽

The Impact

Dr. Kanter presents a summary of his research assessing the role of OTC advertising in Influencing drug usage. His work represents the only systematic study of the impact of commercial advertising on drug usage. He stresses that advertising in itself does not directly lead to drug misuse but should be considered as part of a host of factors in the social environment and in the media environment that have significant influence in determining people's behavior. He also urged that the existing pharmaceutical advertising codes, which are often violated, be reviewed and strengthened.

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Neurogenic Erectile Dysfunction. Where Do We Stand?

Medicines ◽

10.3390/medicines8010003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 3

Author(s):

Charalampos Thomas ◽

Charalampos Konstantinidis

Keyword(s):

Erectile Dysfunction ◽

Large Cohort ◽

Sexual Performance ◽

Drug Induced ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance, causing tremendous effects on both patients and their partners. The pathophysiology of ED remains a labyrinth. The underlying mechanisms of ED may be vasculogenic, neurogenic, anatomical, hormonal, drug-induced and/or psychogenic. Neurogenic ED consists of a large cohort of ED, accounting for about 10% to 19% of all cases. Its diversity does not allow an in-depth clarification of all the underlying mechanisms nor a “one size fits all” therapeutical approach. In this review, we focus on neurogenic causes of ED, trying to elucidate the mechanisms that lie beneath it and how we manage these patients.

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Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising

American Journal of Law & Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0098858800009515 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 149-167

Author(s):

Tamar V. Terzian

Keyword(s):

Prescription Drug ◽

Drug Administration ◽

Food And Drug Administration ◽

Pharmaceutical Products ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Prescription Drug Advertising ◽

Adequate Provision ◽

Package Labeling ◽

Made In

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the promotion of pharmaceutical products. The FDA's regulations issued under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) require that prescription drug broadcast advertisements include the following: (1) a major statement of the product's risks in at least the audio part of the advertisement; and (2) that an adequate provision for the dissemination of the approved package labeling be made “in connection with the broadcast presentation,” if the brief summary is not also part of the advertisement. Under the FDCA, the brief summary provides information concerning the major risks of the drug.

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The Traitor and the Hedonist: The Mythology of Motherhood in Two New Zealand Child Abuse Cases

Media International Australia ◽

10.1177/1329878x1113900107 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 139 (1) ◽

pp. 42-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Linda Jean Kenix

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

Civil Society ◽

New Zealand ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Social Institutions ◽

Media Content ◽

Local Media ◽

The Media

Two recent child abuse cases in New Zealand flooded the local media spotlight and captured the public's attention. In both cases, the mothers were not charged with murdering their children. Yet both mothers received extensive scrutiny in the media. This qualitative analysis found two central narratives in media content: that of the traitor and that of the hedonist. In drawing upon such archetypal mythologies surrounding motherhood, the media constructed these women as simplistic deviants who did not possess the qualities of a ‘real’ mother. These framing techniques served to divert scrutiny away from civil society and exonerated social institutions of any potential wrongdoing, while also reaffirming a persistent mythology that remains damaging to women.

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