Takeda’s Rozerem advertising has been much maligned lately. The FDA gave them a warning letter, to which the company and its advertising agencies have claimed they had no knowledge. The icon of the ads, a talking beaver, has been widely mocked in the blog world. Personally, I like beaver, but to each his own.
However, I was flipping through my Wall Street Journal this morning and about chocked on my muffin when I saw the Takeda corporate ad on page A3 (I’m going to try and get a scan of this ad up next week). “A proud heritage of enriching lives with quality medicines for 225 years” and continues with “Contributing to the Health of Individuals Worldwide.” Ok, so that’s pretty benign. However, the art is…well…look at it for yourself. It features a rendering of Chobei Takeda, Founder of Takeda. Maybe it is just me, but if I were doing an ad to honor the founder of my company, I would actually make him want to look good. Instead, this guy just looks lecherous.
