And you thought you just needed a wee

Anyone travelling on the London Underground can't fail to have noticed this ad - it's everywhere and it's been running for months, so there's plenty of dosh behind it. Seems innocent enough, doesn't it? But this is a classic example of the clever way in which modern advertisers generate 'noise' around a widespread human experience and effectively 'medicalise' it. If you look to the prominent strap line at the bottom in red (in this case a web address which includes the term 'bladder problem') you can figure out what's being done - you're being encouraged to explore the idea that the urge you experience on days when you might have drunk more fluid than usual is, in fact, a medical condition (which, of course, is treatable ; -) This is called expanding the market. When a drug reaches a plateau in sales among the people with GP-diagnosed bladder problems, where to next? You and me of course. The ordinary man or woman on the street. Or better still, the tube (more captive). And you thought you just needed a wee...