Rachel Ferdinando, a Glaxo marketing executive, summarized the film as “the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ of mindless eating,” with the story taking a “behind-closed-doors, fly-on-the-wall” approach that highlights unhealthy relationships people have with food.
Fat boy Jeff Garlin of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” will appear on a panel at the Sundance film festive to "promote Glaxo’s recent study findings about eating habits and talk about ways for the entertainment industry to get more involved in reducing obesity."
GSK, I know it's short notice, but can you please send me to Sundance and get me a ticket to this panel discussion? All expenses paid, of course. Also, when the film is produced, please don't forget to invite me to the New York screening -- I assume it will be screened in NYC. Centocor forgot to invite me to the screening of its documentary film "Innerstate" and they were sorry! (see "Innerstate Private Screening: Philadelphia Style").
The PBS documentary Fat: What No One Is Telling You was sponsored by GSK. PBS claims GSK had no editorial input, but the film could be a preview of what GSK hopes to accomplish. The message is basically that obesity is complex and dieting has no lasting results. There's a lot of footage on emotional suffering related to obesity.
ReplyDeleteConvincing people that dieting doesn't work -- which has been shown in scientific studies for at least a decade -- will be helpful to GSK in promoting a pharmaceutical solution. The weight loss industry may try to counter this argument, but if you give people a choice between dieting and a pill, who do you think will win?
The documentary is available online at PBS and also on Netflix as instant viewing.
I see from Pharma Newshound that "This won't be a marketing tool at all." Sure. Just like Coca-Cola's alliance with the American Academy of Family Physicians has nothing to do with marketing.