“Express yourself, try Alesse.” This is another example of a recent marketing technique that birth control pharmaceutical companies are using to try to one up each other in the competition for their oral contraceptives. The trend – among pills brands like Alesse, Yaz, Seasonique, and Ortho Tri-Cyclen (to name a few) – is the marketing of these pills as “lifestyle drugs”. The companies are trying to convey the idea of female empowerment. Their slogans range from taking control over your period, to "we're not gonna take it" (encouraging women that they no longer need to deal with PMS and period related symptoms), to expressing yourself and your individuality, to the reduction of acne. It appears that these commercials talk about everything other than true function of the birth control pill!Although, it would be nice for these commercials to actually present clear information about the intended use of their product, contraceptive ads fall into a tricky area when it comes to television marketing. In 1997, the FDA amended its policy and finally allowed drug companies to participate in “direct-to-consumer” advertising of prescription medication; this is what has accounted for the influx of pharmaceutical ads now seen on TV. There are now no federal regulations directly prohibiting TV ads on for condoms or birth control pills, yet the advertisers basically have to package the ad in a way, so people are offended by the contraceptive advertisements. Ortho Tri-Cyclen birth control pills broke the ice back in 2000 as one of the first pill brands to be advertised on TV.
It’s just frustrating that companies still need to tread on thin ice when it comes to advertising contraception (as to not cause offense to TV viewers). I find it to be ironic that sexual content on TV is increasing every year. Nearly two-thirds of television programming contains some form of sexual content, and for every 20 times a "sexual situation" appears, there is just one instance implying a risk or responsibility for sexual behavior. For some reason, this is okay; yet allowing a birth control pill commercial to actually discuss the prevention of pregnancy and educate consumers rather than focusing on making a women's life better or easier would have the TV networks up in arms. Am I missing something here??
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Hi, Does the basic method of how a birth control pill works remind you of anything? How about the cattle industry! I know my wife can tell every aspect of her fertility on her own with a thermometer in her mouth every morning, no doctors, no hormones!
I too find it ‘ironic’ that sexual content on TV is increasing every year and now people are fighting to get contraceptive ads on TV.
America would not need the ads if the TV networks quit selling sex.
Get the sex off TV, promote chastity, and logic says you won’t need contraceptive ads.
sex = contraceptives
no sex = no contraceptives
If America picked the correct fight – getting sex of TV – then there would be no need to fight to get contraception ads on the TV.
Pattie, you must be an older person who hasn’t been in school recently. The vast majority of schools teach and preach abstinence as the #1 thing when it comes to sex education. Yes, they do teach about condoms and other forms of birth control, but when kids become sexually active (and they WILL become sexually active) they want the kids to know what is out there and how to use it. Teens who are taught abstinence only are 100% more likely to have sex without a condom and 200% more likely to get pregnant than kids who are taught abstinence and safe sex in schools.
And as far as getting sex off of TV, it isn’t that easy. Sex is EVERYWHERE in society. Even if you got it out of ever form of media in our society, it would still be there. You saying that promoting chastity would solve everything is incredibly naive and very misguided.
Our television is actually far more tame than what can be seen in other countries, yet our birth rates are far above what can be seen in other countries. I believe that it is because of people who try to squash down sexuality and treat it like it is something dirty that only belongs in the bedroom. Parents need to talk to their kids and let them know that while they should wait until marriage, if they do have sex they should take the proper precautions. Those parents should also put their daughters on the pill. Not only will it keep their daughters from becoming pregnant as easily, but it will also help regulate their periods. With the sons? Make sure they know that if they need condoms, that they know where to get them- either from their parents, the store, or from health services.
I think it’s high time that we stop pretending that getting sex off of TV is going to make every teen and unmarried person in the world abstinent. Thinking like that is not only incredibly foolish, but also very dangerous.