Google ad rep tells U.S. healthcare companies how to beat Michael Moore

As ZDNet’s Dan Farber reports today:

I ran across a post from Lauren Turner, who works for Google as an account planner selling ads to the healthcare industry. In the post on what is called the Google Health Advertising blog … she assures potential advertisers that Google can help protect them from the negative impact of Michael Moore’s just released film “Sicko”…

Why would Google want to take sides with the U.S. healthcare industry … Perhaps Ms. Turner’s blog post is the product of an overzealous, new ad salesperson who is telling the client what they want to hear –- “Sicko” picks on the poor U.S. healthcare giants with sensationalist footage and doesn’t talk about all their good deeds.

How convenient! This ad rep just happens to take the side of U.S. healthcare companies against Moore and “negative press,” and just happens to be in a position to directly benefit from advertising dollars from these self-same companies. Here’s what Lauren says specifically:

Moore attacks health insurers, health providers, and pharmaceutical companies by connecting them to isolated and emotional stories of the system at its worst. Moore’s film portrays the industry as money and marketing driven, and fails to show healthcare’s interest in patient well-being and care…

The healthcare industry is no stranger to negative press … The media may use an isolated, heartbreaking, or sensationalist story to paint a picture of healthcare as a whole.

With all the coverage, it’s a shame no one focuses on the industry’s numerous prescription programs, charity services, and philanthropy efforts.

Fortunately, and in a truly remarkable coincidence, Lauren has a solution to the healthcare industry’s problems:

We can place text ads, video ads, and rich media ads in paid search results or in relevant websites within our ever-expanding content network.

Hmm….I wonder how Lauren would feel about “Sicko” if she were in charge of handling Google ads by, say, Michael Moore’s movie distributor?

I’ll leave you to ponder that one.