Free Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom

pollen and dander and grass than anyone can imagine, and guess what? It doesn’t bother her one bit. Flonase has transformed our sneezy, hacking worst nightmare into a sexy, feminine, outdoors-loving, allergy-free object of our envy and desire.
    Sure, pharmaceutical ads play on our fear of death and disease and aging to get us to buy their products. But I believe that’s not the only fear tactic at work. Pharmaceutical companies also play on one of the most subtle yet powerful of psychological tricks: our fear of social isolation, of being outsiders. Countless studies show that humans have a universal need to belong (dating way back to our early ancestors, for whom survival depended on being a member of a band or tribe); for most of us, the thought of being left out or alone is terrifying.
    How exactly do the drug companies play—and prey—on this fear? Believe it or not, they use a formula that, according to a research study carried out at Stanford University, is more or less standard for this kind of fear-based advertising. They begin with solitary shots of our worst “feared” self—a balding man, an overweight woman, or an unhappy or distracted child—whose gaze is conspicuously averted. Once the person in the ad has taken whatever it is that is designed to improve their appearance, steady their mood, or alleviate their symptoms, not only do they look brighter, happier, and sexier, but they face straightahead at the camera. This accomplishes two things. First, as any psychologist will tell you, averted gazes are generally associated with shame and social isolation, while a straight-ahead gaze is a sign of confidence and connectedness. So the straight-ahead gaze implies that taking the drug or medication has magically made the person in the advertisement not just healthier but more popular, loved, and accepted. Second, it invites you, the viewer, into the person’s life. In the advertising industry, this “after” picture is termed a “demand” photo, because the newly slimmed down/refocused/cured model “demands” a connection from the viewer.
Recognize me
, the photograph says.
Meet my gaze. You know me. This brand works. If you want to be as happy as I am, use it
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    Big Pharma has plenty of critics. And while I’ll concede that pharmaceutical executives don’t actually sit around in boardrooms rubbing their hands together, concocting new ways to terrorize the public, given that the very nature of their products is to cure or treat things that most people find universally scary, like serious disease, it’s inevitable that fear finds a way into their marketing and advertising strategies.
    Pharmaceutical companies don’t just remind us of all the horrible conditions we might one day come down with, like an embarrassing skin disease, sexual dysfunction, cancer, and so on. They also spend millions of dollars a year stirring up fear in our hearts over conditions we never even knew to be afraid of. Restless leg syndrome? Fibromyalgia? Premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Who knew such things even existed? Well, thanks to the psychologically manipulative and oft-aired commercials, we all do now.
    Do you suffer from shyness? Apparently shyness isn’t just a personality trait but an actual pathology, and one that only Paxil can cure. What about acid reflux disease, formerly known as heartburn? Today there are over a dozen drugs, from Nexium to Prilosec to Zantac, available to treat it. Who knew that irritable bowels weren’t just the unfortunate repercussions of a spicy Mexican dinner and were actually a “syndrome”? PMDD, or “premenstrual dysphoric disorder,” is a relatively recent condition, though it bears much in common with the monthly hormonal changes fertile women have been experiencing for centuries. LBL, which stands for “light bladder leakage,” is an even newer one, pharmacologically speaking. Anyone who’s ever goneswimming in a public pool has probably encountered a young child who