The opposite of mental illness is oceanfront

Pharmaceutical companies pump out the Rapidsea ads out like nobody’s business.  I wrote about it here with Aleve, and there are plenty of other examples to go around.  Here’s a new one that you might think is a public service announcement for families going through the loss of a loved one:

20071015AstraZenecaMentalIllness

Actually, it’s AstraZeneca announcing all that they do to fight discrimination against and gain acceptance for the 1 in 5 people who live with mental illness.  I applaud their effort, especially if it’s more than a publicity stunt, but I have to say that this image is rather manipulative.

What are they trying to say about mental illness with this picture and its yellow tone?  Is the mom really depressed and has only her child and the ocean to turn to?  Are they jaundiced?  Did someone in their family jump in the ocean?  This ad is, ironically, incredibly depressing and only about a half step in front of the other companies that have people leaping into the air to show their support for drug X.  At least Nissan had fun with these types of images with their Versa campaigns that mocked the happy feeling the drug companies try to inject into people.  Here’s a great example:

I can attest that "Auto claustrophobia" is a real ailment.

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Posted on October 15, 2007
Filed Under Advertising, Beaches, Pharmaceuticals | Leave a Comment

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