When Medical Marketing Campaigns Lead To Enduring Beliefs

Public health, medical and life science marketing campaigns are inherently unusual compared to other market sectors, due to the strict regulations on what can be advertised and how it can be marketed.

The Advertising Standards Agency has extensive rules regarding the kinds of products that can and cannot be advertised to customers, but despite this, some indirect marketing campaigns have managed to not only stick in the mind but also take on a life of their own.

One of the best examples of this is just how many common health beliefs, factual or otherwise, come from marketing campaigns.

Ten-Thousand Steps Per Day

Whenever the subject of health and fitness is brought up, it does not take too long before someone recommends the target of 10,000 steps a day, which roughly equates to five miles of walking each day.

Whilst this advice has been repeated for decades, it does not come from any medical advice, but instead the marketing for a Japanese pedometer.

The Manpo-kei (ten-thousand step-metre) was produced by Japanese clock manufacturer Yamasa Tokei Keiki, and the 10,000-step target was largely to help with the marketing.

It has endured largely despite research suggesting that the benefits of walking stop at around 7,500 steps, mostly because the extra 2,500 steps do not cause any adverse health effects.

Tenth Of The Brain

One of the most famous and most commonly debunked medical myths would typically not be worth exploring, but it is a demonstrably false myth that has endured because of its early connection to marketing.

The original version of the myth was an off-hand comment by psychologist William James, which simply noted that most people only fulfil some of their potential, which was vague and nebulous enough to be plausible.

However, the false claim would become popular in the 1920s and was often used in the marketing of self-help books, courses and products, most notably in an early forward to the popular 1936 book How To Win Friends And Influence People written by Lowell Thomas.

It is most commonly seen as a plot device in fiction, which whilst thankfully not taken as fact, does highlight how much staying power a rumour can have.