MacKenzie Ballard

Staco UWRT 1103

Due February 19, 2015
Prescription Drug Advertisement Essay
As I was searching the Internet for an appropriate advertisement
to evaluate for this assignment, I stumbled upon an advertisement for
the prescription drug, Serax (Oxazepam) that really caught my eye.
The image portrayed is of a woman seeming to be in her mid-thirties
and was presented as a housewife or stay-at-home mother. The photo
powerfully lacked all color, and the old-time feel the black and white
imagery depicted is what drew me further into evaluation of the
message behind the advertisement for this controlled Substance.
Serax, the drug being advertised, is a prescription drug typically
prescribed to treat anxiety, anxiety with depression, and symptoms of
alcohol withdrawals. Within this advertisement, the creator
demonstrated the use of powerful colors - or lack thereof, - striking
words, and powerful imagery to portray an ad that would reach the
intended audience in the most profound way possible.
The image was published in the Huffington Post website
advertising the anti-anxiety medication. The intended audience for
this public notice is middle-aged women struggling with anxious
feelings and overwhelming lifestyles. The women typically attracted to
and affected by this image would likely show interest in or may already

be prescribed to medications such as Xanax and other anti-anxiety,

anti-depressants, ADD, ADHD, or alcohol withdrawal suppositories. The
intended audience likely sustains good physical health from the hard
work they are typically engaged in daily, but they are presumably
incapable of maintaining standard levels of mental heath or mental
stability.
As previously stated, the advertisement under evaluation is
portrayed completely in black and white and features a fatigued,
subjugated, middle-aged female surround by a disorder of
housekeeping supplies. Such materials include a broom, mop, duster,
iron, sponges, rags, scrubbing brushes and various other miscellaneous
cleaning supplies. Bolded words and phrases exhibited throughout the
image and within the product description (located to the right of the
image) include: You cant set her free. But you can help her feel less
anxious, To help you relieve anxiety and tension, and the word
SERAX are displayed vastly outsized and shamelessly.

The

objective of this image is to emphasize the normality of the issue of

anxiety and depression among women throughout the ages. By doing
this, the advertiser makes the use of Serax seem accepted and
ordinary for women struggling with these issues. This advertising
tactic is utilized to provide Serax consumers with of feeling of
belonging and oneness with their problems, which, in this case, is
proven to be extremely effective.

The color composition of the figure is very powerful. Since the

ad is in black and white, it emits a timeless essence making the
obstacles the target market is confronting seem all the more natural
almost as if it is an age-old problem. The black and white contrast is
also exceptionally dramatic and exposes a drained and lifeless
impression, just as the women within their intended audience are
feeling prior to the use of Serax. There are many vertical lines
sporadically placed in front of and behind the focal point (the woman)
of the advertisement. The excessive clutter that this produces within
the image makes the viewer feel more overwhelmed with the objects
and truly bring to light the anxiety that these objects and lifestyles
produce. With all of the housekeeping materials crammed into such a
small area within the photo, the dramatization of the clutter is
enhanced exponentially.
The image focuses in large part on the womans facial
appearance. The weary, fatigued, lifeless expression on the females
face really helps the viewer empathize with the subject of the photo.
The elaborate background as well as the equally elaborate foreground
of the image enhances the message within the advertisement and
further enhances the overall necessity for the use of the medication,
Serax.
I responded more emotionally than I expected to, to the
advertisement. I obtained a vast feeling of empathy toward the

woman pictured in the image, in large part due to my gender and

having grown up with a mother being extremely stressed with her
abundant responsibilities and workload. The look of depression and
lifelessness on the face of the woman touches me emotionally and
helps me better relate to the users of this drug. By relating to the
audience on an emotional level, the advertisers for Serax reiterate the
importance and necessity of this drug. At the beginning of this
assignment, I was fairly skeptical about the use of drugs such as Serax,
but after further evaluation of the advertisement, I was able to better
understand the importance of this medication and others of the sort in
specific situations.
This image was very successful in making me trust the
medication. The use of an average, every day housewife as the
subject of the photo made the advertisement REAL and relatable,
especially to the intended audience. On the right side of the image,
there is a four-paragraph description of the medications that included
topics such as: reasons to use the drug, contraindications, precautions,
side effects and availability. The inclusion of such descriptions relating
to the medication in question enhances the trustworthiness of the
producers of Serax and shows that they have nothing to hide about
their drug. I believe the intended audience for the advertisement
(women suffering from symptoms of anxiety) would have a very similar
response to the advertisement as my own, meaning they would be

very empathetic and emotional toward the issue of depression an

anxiety and relate very easily to the subject of the photo. This relation
that would be created between the viewer and the advertisement
would greatly and positively affect the feelings the target market would
obtain about the medication.