You've probably seen this ad before: A suburban family about to head to do something recreational. Then, mom or dad suddenly clutches their abdomen. The color drains from the screen. A voice solemnly asks, "Do you experience [insert symptoms]? Talk to your doctor about [marketing word for magenta drug capsule]. Side effects include [half a medical dictionary]." Cut to a green meadow with color saturation on high, a swell of uplifting stock music and a logo plastered above too-small-to-read text. "[Drug] gave me my life back," the actor says directly into the camera. "Thanks [pharmaceutical company]!"
Americans watch a lot of television ads, and a huge number are for pharmaceutical drugs. (Indeed, among industries that buy TV ads, Big Pharma is the fourth-biggest spender). All of this might feel deeply weird to people in other countries where this practice is banned. The only other nation besides the United States that allows direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceutical meds is New Zealand.
