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P&G builds a market for eating disorders
Just saw this ad from a new campaign promoting the laxative Metamucil and nearly lost my lunch. Procter & Gamble, which markets Metamucil, has repositioned the brand and is now pitching it with the slogan, "Beautify Your Inside."
Now, I'm not the gambling type but if P&G isn't targeting anorexics, bulimics, and other weight-obsessed women with this campaign, you can have my house. Notice how the ad is clearly directed to a much younger audience than the typical (over 60) user of laxatives. Also, the top two questions on the Metamucil website FAQ (what kind of carbs does the drug contain and how many?) are clearly directed to weight-loss junkies.
Metamucil's desperation is all the more clear in that laxatives have fallen out of favor with some "pro-ana" (that is, pro-anorexia) types, partly because they can cause weight gain. Pro-Ana Nation, for instance, warns:
Don't take laxatives. Laxatives can cause serious medical complications, and you actually gain weight by taking them. There are natural laxatives though, found in foods like prunes and grapes. Also, there are certain sugar-free cough drops and candies that produce a laxative effect because of the sugar substitute used in them.
What does Metamucil's brand manager have to say about the overuse of his product by people with eating disorders?
Mr. Podiak says the company isn't worried because Metamucil isn't a drug but a natural fiber supplement... "There's no long-term negative effect" of taking it, he says.
But according to the Metamucil FAQ:
Metamucil is indicated for treating occasional constipation... We recommend you discuss with your doctor the use of Metamucil as a fiber laxative on a long-term basis.
Of course, you could always just listen to the marketing guy instead.
Posted by carrie on 03/21/2007 | Permalink
Comments
Not only is that ad going after the anorexic market, it looks like it is marking anorexics for death. The slogan in that font looks like Drop dead, gorgeous girls.
Posted by: Charles Star | Mar 21, 2007 12:04:18 PM
You are off base here. My doctor strongly recommended I take Metamucil or a similar product to maintain colon health. Not as a laxative. Therefore the slogan, "Beautify Your Inside." is quite appropriate. You may want to note that P&G recently won a large lawsuit against a company that was trying harm its reputation by linking it with satanism.
Richard
Posted by: Richard Reger | Mar 21, 2007 3:29:43 PM
What, you're implying this post is libelous? The equivalent would be if P&G took out ads with the Dark Lord Satan as its pitchman.
Posted by: Brian | Mar 21, 2007 5:09:02 PM
Richard, you may want to note that an opinion is not actionable in libel. And that you sound like you were hired by P&G.
Posted by: Charles Star | Mar 21, 2007 5:41:34 PM
Richard's response scarcely addresses the point. Our criticism is not with Metamucil as a product (though I you'd be better off eating a healthy diet than consuming it regularly*), it is with the way the product is being marketed.
* no pun intended
Posted by: carrie | Mar 22, 2007 11:45:33 AM
I think Richard is drunk. No one would ever argue that metamucil fails to make you shit. Christ, that stuff is unstoppable. the objection is marketing it toward anorexics, peopel already prone to shitting and puking far too much for no good reason. The proper way to get skinny is to starve yourself, and excercise to the point of exertive collapse, duh!
Posted by: george | Mar 22, 2007 2:17:50 PM
Congratulations, Richard, on contributing (or attempting to contribute) to a culture in which people are scared to exercise their First Amendment right to criticize the communication of major corporations.
Props on bowing down before the power of the all mighty corporate attorney.
Posted by: Bill Herman | Mar 22, 2007 3:59:12 PM
Richard sounds like he's tweaking. Dude, you don't snort it!
Drop-dead stoopid.
Posted by: Ghost-O-Coolio | Mar 23, 2007 1:55:22 AM
You are definitely entitled to feel offended, but you should know that the marketing is coming from an honest place. The laxative effects of metamucil are a side effect of its fiber content. It contains no laxative chemicals or even herbal stimulants. Most people do not get enough fiber in their diets, and are therefore "backed-up." Taking metamucil is about as dangerous as eating a bowel of brussels sprouts. Actually, being thought of as a laxative is exactly what they are trying to get away from -- for the very reason ("pro-ana") that has offended you.
Posted by: Michael | Mar 27, 2007 9:59:43 AM
Here's a more sustainable idea for having healthy bowel movements: eat more plant-based foods (ie. natural fiber the way we're supposed to get it); stay hydrated (water) and exercise (activities you enjoy) and chances are you won't need to buy yucky tasting medical supplements in plastic containers that add to society's waste stream. Healthy people have healthy bowel movements: no laxatives needed. My questions are: why THIS model? In THIS awkward position? What on earth is she doing? And what went on in the board room? I'm using this image in my next media literacy workshop.
Posted by: Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D. | Mar 30, 2007 1:28:53 AM
I think every woman who has been raised in this country can see the advertising to anorexia in this campaign. Laxative, mention of beaty, the menace of the words drop-dead, the stick thin limbs, upside down...
I can't believe advertising executives, who've literally built the culture of twiggy beauty and self-hatred that creates food issues to begin with, do not realize what they are doing here.
Could have been fat men in fields of grain grinning and rubbing big bellies. Totally different message huh.
Posted by: marsha Brown | Apr 6, 2007 6:40:27 PM
Wow. This is so nuts. You want a fact that this is for young weight-concerned (obsessed?) women?
I began reading your blog and saw the ad for the first time. My initial thought, "Oh cool, a metamucil for young women. I should get some of that to help me loose weight". Then I scared myself.
I'm a former anorexic and like most anorexics, I'll never get over that completely. I've worked really hard to regain my life, my health and my sanity- all of which slip away from me from time to time. This product, I feel, is directed at my specific demographic.
What do young women need metamucil for anyways? I've rarely heard of the desire for this product in anyone under 50.
Posted by: Kelly | Apr 17, 2007 11:02:09 PM
I suffer from frequent constipation and I am 22 years old. I simply don't LIKE "plant-based foods" or foods that are particularly rich in fiber. I find that more often than not those particular foods are expensive and don't necessarily last very long. So I either have to eat them right away or suffer through tastes I don't enjoy.
Taking this supplement (as directed) helps relieve the discomfort I go through without HAVING to take a laxative and endure the extra added discomfort caused by the side effects of the laxative itself (i.e. bloating, cramping, etc). Not to mention that laxatives are a LOT harder on the digestive tract than this NATURAL formula.
There will always be people who -ABUSE- substances. I shouldn't be forced to suffer because someone ("ana" or otherwise) can't follow the instructions clearly printed on the label. It's nice to see a younger healthier (read “thin”.. because that’s SUCH a bad thing) woman on the commercial for me. I don't have to feel like a -weirdo- for being 22 and suffering from these symptoms. I don’t have to think that this is something that only older, feebler women go through and that I’m odd because I’m experiencing it 40 years “too soon.” My doctor has fully recommended the product and I am happy to follow her advice.
Posted by: Shauna | Apr 21, 2007 11:48:57 AM
"If Shauna is not a representative of P&G..." is another thing on which we would stake our house. We were shocked! shocked! when her IP address pointed to Findlay, Ohio - P&G country.
In any event, we are not questioning Metamucil's worth as a gentle laxative for occassional constipation (we aren't qualified to make medical judgments anyway). This marketing campaign is not targeted at 27-year-old women who don't like the taste of broccoli or their well-meaning physicians. The images are crafted to appeal to women that can't puke in peace anymore because their parents are watching. The problem isn't that Metamucil doesn't work; it is that P&G is encouraging self-destructive behavior.
Posted by: Charles Star | Apr 22, 2007 11:48:22 AM
I already have beautiful, gigantic shits without that Metamucil crap, pun intended.
Bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, fresh fruits and veggies throughout the day.
/just dropped a two-wiper half hour ago
//Suck it, P&G
///Shameless plug for poopreport.com
Posted by: Anna Nymous | May 10, 2007 9:57:15 PM
What I want to know is, if I "beautify my inside," will P&G pay for interior decorators and some mid-century modern furnishings to pimp out my GI tract? Because if this isn't about encouraging young women to abuse their bodies with laxatives, I expect dupioni silk drapes.
Posted by: Audrey Dundee Hannah | May 21, 2007 10:57:36 PM
I use to be anorexic and use to abuse laxatives and when i saw this it was a huge trigger to me to go back to my old ways. Laxatives have permentely screwed up my gi tract. I was sad to see that they oviously dont care about the millions of girls with eating disorders that will see this add and think laxatives are a good way of loosing wieght, because from expirence its not!
Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 19, 2007 10:10:21 AM
""If Shauna is not a representative of P&G..." is another thing on which we would stake our house. We were shocked! shocked! when her IP address pointed to Findlay, Ohio - P&G country."
Good work guys! P&G country also includes Cincinnati, where the sky is yellow from the sulfur from P&G stacks. Asthma is worse than anywhere in the country too.
Posted by: t. jackson | Sep 17, 2007 6:16:35 AM
I'm so glad someone is as offended as I am by this "beautify your insides" campaign. I was horrified the first time I saw this ad and simply couldn't believe that they were pushing Metamucil as "this season's new beauty secret." Give me a freaking break! What can women do to put an end to such unethical, disgusting advertising? I for one will never, ever buy this product.
Posted by: Mel | Dec 7, 2007 11:47:14 AM
According to my physician, in addition to assisting with constipation, metamucil pulls cholesterol from the digestive tract on its way out which then causes the body to pull cholesterol from the bloodstream, therefore lowering your cholesterol. Maybe that is what they mean by "beautifying your insides." Just a thought.
Posted by: casey peters | Dec 19, 2007 11:58:16 PM
I Agree with them it could actually mean what it says, and because it affected your consciousness in a certain way. you believe yourself targeted. I on the otherhand did not take it to mean that you should become anorexic.
Posted by: | Jul 14, 2008 9:27:27 AM
An alternative to the boring grandpa-imagery in their advertisement, providing a fresh, new look to the face of this company? A way of tending to the insecurities of younger people suffering from irregular colonic activity, as opposed to the 60-year old woman whose digestive system has finally called it quits?
OR
Satanic, destructive ad campaign bent on the cracking down of millions of young women and their weight-struggles?
Oh, so dramatic.
Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 23, 2008 5:49:41 PM
