The bitter pill
ESPN with a wonderful piece on the role of athletes in direct-to-consumer advertising: “Though the alliance between athletes and pharmaceutical companies has become commonplace, leading health experts chide athletes for not exploring possible risks before they endorse medicinal products. At stake, they warn, are the very lives of consumers . . .”
Olympian Bruce Jenner, former pitchman for Vioxx, learns his lesson: “The bigger question is, should these things be on the air in the first place. The marketing has been effective, but whether it’s the right thing to do, maybe we should take another look at that.”
