Pfizer unveiled a new ad starring billionaire businesswoman and television host Martha Stewart, explaining that its updated COVID-19 vaccine protects against the Omicron variant. The pharmaceutical company's intention is clear: to convince citizens to take another injection.
I can’t believe this is real
Pfizer made a commercial with Martha Stewart to advertise its new booster shot
Aren’t Big Pharma commercials legally required to list all the “may cause myocarditis” side effects at the end and say “check with your doctor”?!pic.twitter.com/aKv2yR4YtX
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 31, 2023
The Pfizer spot, called "Unwelcome Guest," is 30 seconds long. In it, Stewart, 81, is shown sharpening a samurai sword while saying:
You know that unwelcome guest everyone wishes would just leave already? That’s COVID-19.
After that, she demonstrates impeccable handling of the weapon, resembling Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and perfectly slices off the top of a pineapple. Her performance does not end there, as she then lifts a sleeve of her t-shirt and shows a small blue bandage, resembling that which health workers put on a person who received an injection.
Pfizer's profit motive
Financially speaking, 2022 was a record year for the pharmaceutical giant. Pfizer posted more than $100 billion in revenue, a 23% increase over its 2021 earnings. This was the highest figure ever recorded by the company, as stated by Albert Bourla, its president and CEO:
2022 was a record-breaking year for Pfizer, not only in terms of revenue and earnings per share, which were the highest in our long history, but more importantly, in terms of the percentage of patients who have a positive perception of Pfizer and the work we do.
The company that distributes one of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines posted profits of $31.37 billion last year, up 43% from 2021. These stratospheric figures are due almost entirely to sales of vaccines and COVID drug Paxlovid.
