WLS success stories in advertising

[catzintj 1]

i tend to avoid the media in general. i dont believe that a pill can stop a person who overeats. i think that the lapband is the " magic pill" that i needed. i had to have something like this that physically prevented me from overeating. for me it was eating that calmed me down. it was a drug that sedated me..i cant imagine eating that way again. but i still have the stress issues from my job, but i try to use exercise and horseback riding as a positive way to relieve stress. without the band would i revert back to my old was? maybe. i would hope not.

[Alexandra 55]

Honestly. And no snark intended. What would the reaction be if you (general you) saw my photos, and weight loss stats in a print or tv ad with "results not typical" under it.

Would my weight loss be dismissed just because I lost more than what is considered typical?

Would eyes be rolled and "yeah, whatever!" be muttered?

That would all depend, to me, on how it was presented. Because here YOU are sharing your experience we accept it as truth and have great respect (are even in awe) of your achievement. If your photo was plastered on an ad with just the before & after photos, with no indication of how long the transformation took and how hard you had to work to make it happen, then yeah, I'd likely just keep walking.

Your results AREN'T typical, and as such, they don't actually speak to ME. When I was considering taking this drastic step, I wanted to hear about the typical results, because that's much more realistic for me.

But I am sorry if people are scared off by my result. I have debated with myself about posting here (or anywhere) because of that, and with the healthy amount of PM's I get accusing me of photo shopping my pictures, or flat out lying I do tend to keep my posts to a minimum.

It's inexcusable that you are accused of lying, I'm so sorry that happens! Chickie, you are a shining example of what's possible, and we can all be totally inspired by your achievement.

Who are we supposed to show as the "before and afters"? People who have lost 50 or 60% of their excess? Would you think I would be unsuitable to be shown as a before and after for the band because I lost all my weight in about 18 months??

That's what I'm wondering myself, and why I started the thread. To ME, the most effective before-and-afters are those that include a reasonable time frame for the transformation, and those where the "after" photos are not stick-skinny. If I were a band doctor, I think I would look for someone in my "typical" results group to use as a poster child. I'd want to send the message that some large percentage of my patients actually DO achieve XX% of EWL in XX months. And so, your expectation of doing as well or better can be very good.

(Maybe that's why I'm not in the marketing field, eh. :eek: )

[TerriDoodle 6]

A good question to ask, then, is what (if any) type of advertising DID influence us to investigate the lap band further?

I distinctly remember that the first thing I ever heard or saw about it was on a billboard. The "after" photo was a conservatively-clothed, 30-something woman who looked like she might even live next door to me....just an average woman....maybe 20# from being almost perfect. The board said something like "The lap band changed my life forever".... no big hard sell.

The ad that made me start digging deeper and deeper was in a local community magazine where Dr. Speigal was advertising...and it listed his impressive credentials and gave more specific info about what the band is and is not. His office is 5 miles from my house!

So that's what got me started in this direction. I credit LBT and Dr. Spivak with reeling me in. :eek:

THANK YOU LBT!!!

[Alexandra 55]

A good question to ask, then, is what (if any) type of advertising DID influence us to investigate the lap band further?

That is a good question. The band is so new in the U.S. that there really isn't much advertising for it at all, yet. What brought me to it was a google search on weight-loss surgery and I saw mention of this new thing called the band. When I investigated, the whole thing just made so much SENSE to me that I never looked back. I found my doctor on a list of physicians who had been involved in the FDA trials, and the fact that he was 15 minutes from here AND in my insurance network completely sealed the deal.

At no point was there any advertising involved. Now that I've seen some ads, and my doctor's office has a website, I'm interested in how banding can be presented as something OTHER than a get-thin-quick scheme. Because that's what all weight-loss advertising has always sounded like, to me.

[green 6]

Up here in Canada a lot of the advertising which is allowed south of border is simply not permitted. Much of this which is forbidden has to do with legal and medical services; we also have funny laws covering prescription pharmaceuticals.

The way I heard about the lapband and the Toronto Lap Band Centre, the place were I went for my surgery, was through a girlfriend who had seen one of the surgeons interviewed on a local morning show. She had heard me whining about my weight gains for a long time and thought that I might be interested. Before I knew about the lapband I was thinking about extensive Lipo but was terrified of the pain. The rest is happy history. :eek:

[babygrl1234 6]

I know the one Lapband commercial I see over and over again has a 30 something woman on there who looks to be at least 20 pounds overweight. She is talking about her surgery and hunger and her before photo is on the refrigerator in the background and they zoom in on it. In comparing the photos it is obvious she had lost weight. The commercial is more focused on how she feels better and whatnot. If that is what they are showing me in a commercial then that must be what they feel is a normal patient that does not need the results not typical in small print below her picture.

Honestly I don't know if that would work for me. I did not get this surgery to stay overweight. I got this surgery to live a long healthy life and lose all of my excess weight, not just some of it.

[Chickie 15]

Your results AREN'T typical, and as such, they don't actually speak to ME.

Thank you for your honesty. I actually wondered if people felt this way.