Will Big Pharma Run SuperBowl Ads?

Some think it might not be such a good strategy:

"There is a heavy price to pay for mistaking components of strategy for strategy itself, or misreading the strategic effect of components. The pharmaceutical industry, for example, is going through a process of profound transformation and intense negative reaction to its marketing activities. Part of the reason for that has been the lack of strategic thinking around the deployment of direct-to-consumer advertising. While claims can be made for the business value of DTC at a tactical level, the strategic effect of spending nearly $5 billion a year on consumer promotion of prescription medicine (editor's note: breakdown of costs here) has been to open the industry to scrutiny and sanction. Nearly every major drug company active in the United States is facing multiple federal and state investigations into its business practices. Tactical success does not necessarily yield successful strategic performance."

At $2.7 million for a 30-second spot, I just can't see how showing a Superbowl would ad be a good strategy for the pharmaceutical industry either.

But then, I don't make their marketing decisions, do I?

-Wes