REPORT CARD RESULTS
Public Citizen
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)
Drug Companies: Abbott Laboratories, Forest Laboratories and King Pharmaceuticals
Dairy Queen
Endocrinology Researchers
America's Doctors
Holistic/Alternative Medicine Community
American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Larry Ladd, Perchlorate Activist
Drug Companies, Attorneys for the Synthroid Class Action Lawsuit
PDF Printer-friendly version of 2004 Thyroid Disease Report Card
aaaaaaaaa
|
|
 |
Dairy Queen International
Grade: C+
Earlier in 2003, Dairy Queen launched a television ad, created by New York's Grey Worldwide Advertising, in which a very overweight man returns several times to a Dairy Queen counter, requesting a particular ice cream treat. At one point, he shows up in a ballet outfit, trying to pretend that he is a twin sister of a girl he is with, and when the counter clerk looks at him strangely, he says he has a "thyroid problem." The insinuation is, of course, that the reason he is so overweight and not slim like his "twin" is his thyroid.
After hearing from a number of thyroid patients who found the ad insulting, I contacted the president and executive vice president of Dairy Queen, to share with them the concerns of the thyroid patient community. I explained that:
- there are an estimated 27 million thyroid patients in America
- a percentage of thyroid patients are not only not overweight, but are underweight, and a percentage are normal weight. "Thyroid problem" -- therefore -- is not code for "fat" or "overweight."
- making fun of people with diseases is not typically considered "funny."
After quite a bit of back and forth with various spokespeople, I finally was able to get through to Executive Vice President of Marketing, Michael Keller, to make the case for thyroid patients. At that point, Dairy Queen was finally willing to reevaluate its position and they finally decided to edit the ad to remove the offending thyroid reference. Keller and his Dairy Queen management realized that the ad didn't work, because it alienated a large, vocal group of potential customers.
Dairy Queen gets a C. That’s the average of the F the company would have received for approving and running its thyroid-offensive ad and not changing it, and an A for agreeing to pull the ad when contacted by thyroid patients.
In the end though, it’s not often that a company or organization is willing to not only say it has been wrong, but to be willing to do what it takes to make things right! So Dairy Queen gets kudos for that. And ice-cream loving thyroid patients of America can go back to eating our dip cones and Blizzards again!
Search My Thyroid Sites
I run two large thyroid sites, so search both sites to see if your topic is covered.
|
|
Sticking Out Our
Necks and this website are © Copyright Mary
Shomon, 1997-2003. All rights reserved. Mary
Shomon, Editor/Webmaster
All
information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a
substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical
conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health
issues and consult your physician or health practitioner before starting a
new treatment program. Please see our full disclaimer.
|
|