Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1809

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Burson-Marsteller's Task Force
Media Watch. Australian Broadcasting Commission 2002 Sep 13
www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/300902_s3.htm

Full text:

One of the things medical people really know about is clever advertising and one of the really clever tricks of the industry is duping the media into running advertising campaigns absolutely free of charge.

Brian Henderson: ‘Spring is traditionally the time when people start trying to shed those extra kilos, put on over winter, often turning to quick fix diets, pills or meal replacements. Now for the first time health experts have reviewed the most popular methods finding that many are a waste of money and some can make you sick.’
Channel 9 News 2 September 2002

That’s Brian Henderson kicking off this month’s campaign for an expensive pharmaceutical that promises to cut the kilos.

Sheryl Taylor: ‘Bombarded by news of being one of the most overweight nations, Australians are also bombarded by products that claim to solve the problem. Now a new group, the Healthy Weight Task Force – doctors, dieticians and pharmacists – have cut through the confusion.’
Channel 9 News 2 September 2002
And what did this impressive sounding task force pick above all other fat fighters?

‘Xenical, which prevents absorption of fat, gets a tick because it provides an exercise and support plan.’
Channel 9 News 2 September 2002
Next day, Xenical and the task force were getting ticks everywhere. Derryn Hinch had the news on 3AK:

Derryn Hinch: ‘…that’s the report from the Healthy Weight Task Force. They’re an independent network of doctors, dieticians and pharmacists. And they did study the most popular methods. That one that we mentioned from the prescription product, is the Xenical. It can cost between $120 and $130 a month. It restricts the absorption of fat and they’re verdict was it’s good for long-term sustainable weight loss.’
3AK 3 September 2002
The buzz word for the task force that morning was independent. Hinch said so. The Herald Sun said it too:

The Healthy Weight Task Force – an independent network of doctors, dietitians and pharmacists – studied the most popular methods used by Australians to lose weight.’
Herald Sun 3 September 2002
Have a look »
And identical words appeared in the Courier Mail, but by evening, the stature of the task force had grown:

Naomi Robson: ‘Well the good news is that some of the country’s most respected doctors, dieticians and pharmacists have come together and for the first time, rated the best products and programmes on the market.’
Today Tonight 3 September 2002
Most respected? Well they’d certainly won the media over. By the time Naomi got her teeth into the story, TV, radio and press had been celebrating the task force and its chosen pill for two days. It was even picked up by the ABC.

Susan Mitchell: ‘In the Courier Mail today it had a great list of…I’ll just say what the Courier Mail said: Xenical costs about 120 to $130 a month. It prevents absorption of 30% of fat eaten …it says it’s a good option for long-term weight loss and it teaches healthier eating habits. Would you agree with that?’

Karen Peachey: ‘Ah yes I certainly would. Xenical is one of the better products on the market. It is actually a prescription product so you would have to go and speak with your GP about it…’
ABC Radio 612 Brisbane 3 September 2002

But where had Karen Peachey and the rest of this taskforce come from?
Brisbane ABC radio producer Luise Hoffman and ABC presenter Kevin Naughton, who did the story in Adelaide, both tell Media Watch they asked that basic question. Both say they were assured by the PR consultants pushing the story, that the task force was completely independent.

But it isn’t true. The media event was organised by Burson Marsteller one of the world’s biggest PR firms.

‘Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications counselling firm. It provides its clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising and other communications services.’
Burson-Marsteller Website
Have a look »
And Burson Marsteller’s clients include the pharmaceutical giant Roche, which manufactures Xenical. Burson Marsteller denies there was any deception, though its press release didn’t reveal the connection between them, the taskforce, and the drug company. But when we called Healthy Weight Task Force chairman Dr Colin Kratzing he explained:

‘The task force was set up by Roche originally. The entire funding has come from Roche…’
Colin Kratzing to Media Watch
In fact, Dr Kratzing and his colleagues approached Roche for the gig, when Xenical was still being trialed in America.

‘We were trying to sell them a support programme for Xenical…we knew it was coming out [to Australia].’
Colin Kratzing to Media Watch
It doesn’t worry Kratzing that Roche then paid for his members and others to evaluate the fat fighting benefits of Xenical and its rivals.

‘We have all got professional standards…even if Roche is paying for it.’
Colin Kratzing to Media Watch
Roche can’t advertise its products directly to the public, but they can make them news. With the help Burson-Marsteller, which put out a press release praising both the task force, and its splendid choice:

‘Health experts reveal the best way to lose weight this summer.
We have found that prescription treatments, such as Xenical, are most likely to achieve the long-term results people are looking for in a safe and effective way.’
Healthy Weight Task Force Press Release
Well, they would say that wouldn’t they? The press release was lapped up and the taskforce provided talent for the media:

Geraldine Georgeou: ‘It is a minefield for people to find out what’s the best way to lose weight and I think the key message for people is: is it proven? And is there a long-lasting outcome, and is there lifestyle change?’
Today Tonight 3 September 2002
Geraldine Georgeou, dietician and task force member, was everywhere over the next few days, endorsing the Roche product.

Roche and its PR firm now say there was no secret about the funding of the task force. Here’s Kirsten O’Doherty of Roche in The Sunday Age last week:

‘Roche is proud to sponsor the HWTF and is quite open about that.’
The Age 22 September 2002
Have a look »
The whole project cost Roche just $60,000. The result? Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free advertising for Xenical across newspapers, radio and television stations, all disguised as news. It was simply a pushover.