Advice You - Business

Do your kids walk around the house humming jingles from commercials? I know mine have.

Kids are a Huge Market

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics published this month in Pediatrics highlights the scope of advertising

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

to children. According to the report, kids are exposed to about 3,000 ads per day in the United States from TV, radio, internet, billboards, etc. Why so many? Kids spend about $180 billion a year and influence parental spending of anoth

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

r $200 billion.

Advertisers are reportedly marketing to an increasingly younger age group in an attempt to establish brand recognition. Recent studies, reported last month at the Radiological Society of North America meeting, show that

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

the brain works harder to process information from new brands than from recognized ones. The study also reported that strong brands activated brain regions associated with positive emotions, reward and self-identity. In contrast, weak

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

rands activated regions of negative emotion and working memory. Advertisers want to get kids familiar with their brands early so that they can influence a lifetime of buying power.

Most Messages are Not Healthy

This is not new, but wh

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

t we should be concerned with is the types of messages our kids are getting. About half of the ads that kids see are for food but only 3% push healthy foods. However, it's this next statistic that blew my mind. According to the Pediatri

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

cs report, there are more beer and hard liquor ads in youth-oriented magazines than there are in adult magazines! This is according to a Washington Post article from September 24th, 2002. Tobacco companies also spent about $217 million

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

n teen magazines in 2000 and the report cites evidence that they have developed specific advertising campaigns for kids as young as 13.

The campaigns aren't limited to junk food, alcohol and tobacco. Prescription drug companies spend t

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

ice as much on marketing as they spend on research and development and promote the message that there is a pill for everything. A survey of doctors concluded that 92% of patients request an advertised drug. The top 10 drug companies in

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

the Fortune 500 now make more money than the remaining 490 companies combined.

Studies show that kids under 8 years old are unable to distinguish between advertising and factual messages. In fact, the FTC realized back in the 70's that

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

marketing to kids under 6 was unfair and deceptive but decided it would be too hard to enforce a ban. However, many European countries have succeeded in doing just that. Pediatricians are now calling for tighter regulations on advertise

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

s in the U.S., as well.

The Invasion of the School System

Can you protect your kids by limiting their exposure to TV, internet and magazines at home? Well, somewhat. Pediatricians recommend limiting ‘screen time' to less than 2 hours

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

per day. But kids are getting plenty of exposure at school as well. The report cites advertisements on school busses and book covers, and in school gyms and bathrooms. More than 200 school districts have signed exclusive contracts with

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

oft-drink companies. There are also more than 4500 Pizza Huts and 3000 Taco Bells in school cafeterias across the country. Furthermore, Channel One, now shown in 25% of middle and high schools, contains 10 minutes of current events prog

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

amming and 2 minutes of commercials and generates an estimate profit of $100 million annually.

Do you Know what your Kids are Seeing?

It is estimated that we receive as many advertisements in a single day as our grandparents did in an

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

entire year. Everyone is battling for mind-share. Some of the messages are good and are trying to help you with your health, finances, and relationships and generally improve your lifestyle. Others are just trying to get your cash in e

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

change for some immediate gratification product. As adults, we have the ability to develop filters to weed out some of the trash. But kids don't have this power yet.

Try to spend a day in the life of your kids and see what they are bei

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

g exposed to. Sit down and watch one of their favorite shows, look through one of their magazines, visit their favorite websites, stroll through the hallways of their school. Pay attention to the ads they are seeing. You may automatical

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

ly filter these out but they do not.

What can you do? First, becoming aware of the messages your kids are getting is a huge step. You can talk to them about the difference between advertising messages and educational information. But t

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

e best way to instill positive messages in your kids is to be a good role model for healthy lifestyle practices. What they see and hear from you will carry much more weight than what they see on TV.

Copyright (c) 2006 The Brain Code LL

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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It is very important to keep in mind that forecasting solution is superior, but just as superior as the person who uses it. Putting money in user training, and assuring that the technology helps in decision-making, is the key that will eventually fetch the remuneration.

Technology makes life easier. It supposed to be like that in an ideal condition. Unfortunately, there is always risk that we have to face (and fight) because nothings perfect in reality.

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