Claritin-
Claritin is a popular allergy medication. Its main
ingredient is loratadine, which is an antihistamine (like the word hints,
antihistamine inhibits histamines which halts allergy symptoms). Often times
their commercials will have a person doing some sort of activity, but not enjoying one
second of it. It is usually portrayed in a black and white filter. Then the
person takes Claritin and suddenly colors become brighter, the mood becomes
better, and the activity is enjoyable again. I remember back when I used to
watch tv (now I’m on Netflix, screw commercials), it was extremely satisfying
to watch all the bright colors that would come in the second half of the
commercial after the actor had taken the medication.
When comparing Claritin to
CVS’s loratadine medication, we see a 45% price difference. Claritin is
$1 a pill, while CVS’s medication is $0.62 a pill. Claritin is owned by the
conglomerate, Bayer.
“Live Claritin Clear”
Ah that just sounds so perfect. It has a nice ring to it. I don’t
want to be “CVS brand non-drowsy allergy relief clear”, so I guess I’m going to
pay almost double the price. Note: Both medications have the same active
ingredients.
Theory: Claritin is selling happiness not a clear nose and
un-itchy eyes. Claritin’s commercials are just so pleasing to watch. After the Claritin kicks in,
everything is colorful, everyone is smiling, and life couldn’t get better. If
you didn’t already know it was a Claritin commercial, one would notice that it is
eerily similar to an antidepressant commercial. Coincidence? Obviously not. Most
of Claritin’s commercials don’t even show the person experiencing the terrible
symptoms of allergies; it is literally just someone having a terrible colorless
day.
But what if a person says that the
generic CVS allergy medication (with the same active ingredients) didn’t give
them any relief? Are they just blaming their unhappiness and despondent life on cheap medicine? I mean,
probably.
I haven't ever really thought about this before this post, but I think that out of all of the drug commercials that I have seen in the past, the Claritin commercials are the only ones that have stuck with me. They do such a great job advertising. If I ever needed an allergy relief medication, I think I would be one of those people to choose Claritin over the generic brand, just because of how well they have established themselves for years. I literally have done no research on Claritin, and don't know of people who have used it. But for some reasons, just from their commercials (which I have seen since a younger age) I think I would definitely choose it over a generic brand, even if it is more expensive. Additionally, Claritin is one of those drugs where you may only need to use it a couple of times to experience relief. Therefore, it probably won't cost too much, as compared to prescription medications which may need to be taken long term, or even for life.
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