Pfizer raises awareness of health monitoring

Entitled 'Don't wait 'til it's too late', the campaign has tapped actress Ann Thongprasom as its spokesperson to encourage youth to take their parents for medical screening. In addition to running print, television, radio, and cinema advertising, the campaign is offering 250,000 baht in awards to members of the public who write in, describing how a timely medical check may have helped save a life or prevented the development of a serious medical condition.

Three people who write in will be selected to become the real-life subjects of Pfizer's new advertisements to promote the campaign. "We asked Ann Thongprasom to share her personal experiences in taking her parents for regular medical check-ups and hoped she would act as a good role model," said Manu Sawang-jaeng, country manager, Thailand and Indochina, Pfizer.

The McCann Erickson-created TVC features the story of a young man who lives with his father. The elderly father shows early signs of illness such as coughing and chest pains, while the son keeps asking if his father has gone to see a doctor, but never bothering to actually take the father to a hospital for a check-up.

In the end, the father's condition suddenly deteriorates and he is rushed to a hospital's intensive care unit.

"The objective of the advertising is to remind people that they need to do more than just ask about the health of their parents, and that being a caring child is about taking action before it's too late and ensuring their parents get regular health checks," added Manu.

The new campaign marks Pfizer Thailand's first attempt to use a celebrity in its corporate advertising. The company is hoping that more than 100,000 people take their parents in for testing at least once a year.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Population Fund, Thailand's over-60 population will increase by 50 per cent in the next 10 years, and is expected to double within two decades.