This image is from a commercial for Viberzi, a drug for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea (IBS-D) which of course is no laughing matter.
The commercial, however…
What I’m imagining is the conversation in the conference room at the ad agency that created this commercial:
“OK, everybody, listen up! I’ve got a great idea for our new client, Viberzi. We get an actress and put her in a skin-tight body suit, pale, like her skin, so the viewers focus on the image on her stomach.”
Long silence, and then, “OK, Jake. What’s the image on her stomach?”
“It’s her intestines and the…uh…stuff below it.”
Another long silence.
“And this actress, Jake. What does she do?
“She walks, she talks, but other people can’t see or hear her. She follows around another actress who has that IBS-whatever while the voiceover talks about how great Viberzi is.”
Silence. And then,
“So the second actress is interacting with the first actress’ guts?”
“No! She’s interacting with her own guts and the…uh…stuff below it.”
“Jake.” Long silence. “Could you wait out in the hall?”
And the “guts” actress – here’s what I imagine is on her resume:
“Since 2016 I have starred as ‘Irritabelle’ in nationally broadcast Viberzi TV commercials, skillfully and sensitively depicting the small intestine, cecum, ileum, ascending colon, traverse colon, descending colon, and sigmoid colon. This multi-faceted role required:
- Acting
- Emoting while speaking lines such as “Diarrhea and abdominal pain!”
- Smiling
- Gesticulating
- Portraying guts credibly
- Being invisible to everyone but the afflicted person
“Chosen ‘Ad of the Day’ in Adweek, April 14, 2016. I am now nationally known as ‘The Viberzi Girl.’”
I hope this actress gets to do a lot more Viberzi commercials.
It would be a shame to let all that talent go to…uh…waste.
