Cialis: Spoofs and Side Effects

When we were talking in class today about how many pharmaceutical ads relate to sex, I immediately thought of the Viagra and viagra cialis online pharmacy pharmacy commercials that I always see late at night when I’m up watching trashy VH1 shows or something similar (Tool Academy, anyone?). I also thought of this mock Cialis commercial that I stumbled upon a while ago, in which Cuba Gooding, Jr. acts as a man who no longer suffers from erectile dysfunction after taking 36-hour Cialis.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1833992/cialis_commercial/

I thought the video was funny because of how outrageous it is in its portrayal of the effects of the drug. But I also noticed something this time around that I hadn’t noticed when I viewed this video initially. We had talked in class about how oftentimes in pharmaceutical advertisements when the side effects are being mentioned, the on-screen images will portray happiness and excitement and fun in order to distract from the harsh and off-putting words and diseases being mentioned in the background narration. This video expertly satirizes that practice. In fact, I remember that when I watched this video for the first time, I was so taken aback by the ridiculousness nature of it that I barely listened to the voiceover; it was the same generic sounding man I had heard on countless other commercials.

This time, I paid more attention to the combination of images and words. When the narrator spoke of the side effects, which “may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache,” the images on the screen were of a happy couple cuddling in bed oblivious to the erection pitching their sheets up and then that same couple driving through with his erection guiding the steering wheel. These images are so absurd that the entire focus of the audience goes toward them, not the dangerous side effects or other information that is offered about the product. Although this commercial is clearly a parody of Cialis ads, it is interesting as it sheds light on some of the tactics used by pharmaceutical companies in their advertising.