If you watch any television at all, chances are you have seen this commercial. And if you are a female over the age of 12, chances are you know what it’s about:
For those of you still in the dark, Yasmin is the one of the latest birth control pills to hit the market. I am not against contraceptives. What I am against however, are ads for contraceptives aimed at teenagers, simply because it subconsciously tells them that it is okay to start having sex at that age, as long as they are being safe.
When I first saw the Yasmin commercial, I thought that it might be targeting high school girls, because of how young the actresses appeared to be. Closer inspection however showed that the women portrayed were likely college aged.
My over-sensitivity is probably due to another birth control commercial for Ortho Tri-Cyclen-Lo which ran a couple months back and featured girls who were definitely of high school age. Those who remember these commercials knew that the concept was that girls should try something new, eg. Try playing, try laughing, try getting up early etc, with the unspoken message being try Ortho Tri-Cyclen-Lo. As far as I was concerned, the real message was ‘Try having sex before you’re ready for it and coming out unscathed.’
Maybe it was the public out-cry against the commercial targeting teens, or the medical problems associated with the product, but the ads for Tri-Clyclen-Lo have pretty much disappeared from the TV and Internet. Can’t say I’m disappointed.
In recent years activist groups of different kinds have been working hard to ban advertising that was seen as harmful to the public, especially minors. Everything from tobacco and alcohol, to fast foods got hit. However, it seems like for every dangerous advertising strategy that gets blocked, two more appear.
My question is, where are the ethics? I know that every public relations/ marketing/advertising/business program comes with an ethics course attached. So why has this aspect of social responsibility been so discarded? And why does someone have to put a ban on your ad for you to know that maybe you shouldn’t be advertising birth control to girls below the age of consent, or liquor to youth under 21?
Good point and valid concerns. I live in a state that has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country despite being located in the bible belt, so perhaps it’s not so terrible to make an attempt to reach that audience.
I’ve also been a child welfare worker.
The girls in the commercial and the setting does appear to be a high school more than a college, so I don’t think you were that far off.
I raised three sons as a single mother. I did not have grandchildren until one of them was married. My youngest just turned 25 and is single. 98% of the single girls his age have children.
Forgive me for playing devil’s advocate, but I think that the advertisers are socially responsible – but don’t get me started about pharmaceutical companies.