If you think scantily clad women in provocative poses and suggestive ad copy surrounded by the tempting nightlife scene are the makings for the next beer commercial, think again. Marketers for Tagamet haven’t made enough profits in the baby boomer market so now they’re going after today’s youth market.

In efforts to attract the attention of the younger market and catch up with their competitors, manufacturers of Tagamet have developed a campaign to target men as young as 21.

Although Tagamet has been around since 1995, they fall behind at a distant third in the competitive acid-reducer market. Marketing experts claimed that the Tagamet campaign walks a fine line between focusing on serious health conditions and endorsing certain behaviors. In particular, this campaign encourages young people to seek out pleasure without having to pay the consequences.

Some of the campaign’s clever advertising tactics include suggestive language on bar coasters and pint glasses with seductively dressed woman asking if you remembered to bring your protection next to a picture of spicy buffalo wings or pizza loaded with toppings.

Although research has shown that incidents of heartburn increase with age, marketers stated there was a need for it among young men who suffer from the same symptoms.

Marketers for Tagamet stated the goal of their campaign was to help the young people keep up with living the fun lifestyle they have grown accustomed to living.

Other Places the Campaign Plans to Target

• Ads on phone kiosks
• Billboards and floor mats in restaurants
• Distribution of samples at amusement parks such as Six Flags

The next area of the youth market Tagamet campaigners plan to hone in on is fiber supplements. Their proposed strategy takes advantage of the low-carb popularity by acting as the answer to the common "regularity" problem low-carb dieters have reported.

PR Newswire June 3, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I am absolutely convinced that sometime in the future the ads that drug companies are producing to encourage people to pursue eating unhealthy because they can take a pill to relieve their symptoms will be viewed as evil as tobacco companies advertising cigarettes. This might be 20 or more years, but it is absolutely inevitable. Tagamet has a new campaign that suggests shifting the focus of heartburn medications from treating unintentional excess to providing a prophylactic for customers whose excess is very intentional indeed. There are far better natural solutions for heartburn. This reprehensible and despicable attitude of drug companies to focus on profits at the expense of people's health is one of the driving forces that keeps me pushing to shift the fatally flawed traditional paradigm's reliance on drugs and surgery. Tagamet is an H2 blocker and relatively safe compared to the very potent proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec and Nexium. I believe their approach is even more despicable. These pills cost about $4 for each daily pill, or $1,500 a year, and are very effective at relieving symptoms but do absolutely nothing about solving the cause of the problem. Even worse is that they develop a physiologic addiction or dependency that makes it virtually impossible to stop taking them without having even worse symptoms than prior to taking them. For further details please review the revealing story I posted on Nexium in a past newsletter. Related Articles: How to Cure Your Heartburn Now That Prilosec Will Go Over the Counter (OTC) Low Fat Diets Worsen Heartburn How the Drug Companies Deceive You -- The Inside Story of Nexium U.K. Drug Maker Investigated by U.S. Agency Chewing Gum After Meals is Not a Good Idea FDA Slow to Pursue Deceptive Drug Commercials