| Dell Computer Corp. Now Migraine Aware | |
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Migraineurs and those of us with other headache disorders find that one of our biggest obstacles is the misconceptions others have about our conditions. It’s a constant battle to educate people that Migraines are NOT headaches, but that Migraine is a neurological disease, and head pain is a symptom of a Migraine attack. Too many people still think that a Migraine is “just a headache” and can be easily treated by "taking a pill."
Dell Computer Corporation is currently running a television commercial, the video of which is also showing on their web site, that has many Migraineurs quite impressed with the company – negatively impressed.
The commercial has a man coming out of a store, encountering Dell’s “Steven,” and remarking, “I go in for a PC, I come out with a Migraine.” Once Steven tells him about the ease of shopping for a Dell computer, his reply is, “I'm feelin' better already.”
The problem with this is that it helps perpetuate all-too-common misconceptions about Migraine, which is a neurological disease, not a "headache." It gives the viewer two incorrect impressions:
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The commercial makes it sound as if the confusion of choosing a PC will trigger a Migraine attack. Although there are certainly things in the shopping environment that could trigger a Migraine, the trigger would actually be poor air circulation in the store, the cleaning product used in the store, perfume or fragrance counters, fluorescent lighting in the store, soap and detergent aisles, to name a few.
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The line, "I'm feelin' better already," gives the impression that the Migraine was aborted by getting Steven's advice on finding a PC more easily. For many migraineurs, this subliminally brings back the psychobabble years of being told that we need to organize ourselves better, cope with life better, and it was "all in our heads."
I spoke with Colleen Ryan in Dell's Corporate Communications. Ms. Ryan asked me to put my concerns into a letter and email it to her. I sent that letter, explaining that Migraine is a neurological disease, not a headache, and that the confusion of shopping for a computer would not be a Migraine trigger. I also explained that Migraineurs are constantly fighting the consequences of the misconceptions about our disease and that the commercial only serves to perpetuate those misconceptions.
Members of our About Headaches/Migraine community are somewhat divided on the issue of this commercial. The majority view it as I do; the minority aren't bothered by it and don't understand why the rest of us are concerned. This highlights another critical issue for Migraineurs — understanding and education even among other Migraineurs. Migraine is not a one-size-fits-all disease. It doesn't buy into equal opportunity principles. Migraine frequency can range from occasional to daily; the severity, from mild to extreme; the incapacitation from slight to totally disabling. We Migraineurs sometimes don't take into consideration that another Migraineur's experience can be dramatically different from our own. This is exhibited in some of our forum posts on the topic of the Dell commercial. Some members were extremely concerned that the commercial would perpetuate the misconceptions portrayed. Other members thought we were being "overly-sensitive," told us to "lighten up," or inappropriately thought this was an issue of being "politically correct." Thus, the critical issue that the division in the forums highlights is that if it's this hard to educate other Migraineurs, educating the general public seems even more daunting a task. Additionally, there are some whose head pain is misdiagnosed as Migraine when it is another type of headache disorder altogether. This only makes things yet more confusing and emphasizes to an even greater extent the need for public education. People with head pain disorders need proper diagnosis and treatment. If we don't understand our own illness, we often make misstatements, giving incorrect impressions and defeating what we think is our own purpose. Those who don't have head pain disorders need education to understand those who do.
It was for these reasons, how Migraine is represented in the media and the need for public education and awareness to defeat inappropriate stereotypes, that MAGNUM, the National Migraine Association, followed up on my initial contact with Dell. Both MAGNUM and I were being contacted by members and other people who were concerned about how this commercial portrayed Migraine. MAGNUM went on to contact the Dell Computer Corporation to discuss the commercial and address the situation. MAGNUM's Executive Director, Michael John Coleman, had an opportunity for a long discussion with Mike Mayer, in charge Dell Corporate Communications. Mr. Coleman was impressed with Dell's concern about the issue and was told that earlier contact from me and the educational information I sent, had prompted him to take the time to educate his staff about the issues at hand. It turned out that there was a prompt response by Dell and Mr. Mayer informed Mr. Coleman that he had spoken with the Branding Team to make them aware of the sensitivity of this issue. Mr. Mayer stated, "We are not going to take that kind of action (referring to using Migraine in an inappropriate way) in the future." Mr. Coleman was impressed by Dell's willingness to discuss the sensitivities of our disease demographics. At the end of the conversation, Mr. Mayer noted that our communications with the company had provided "a good chance to educate those on our staff about Migraine," and he thanked us for it. The commercial ends it's cycle on Friday, May 10, and will not be put on the air again. When there are these issues, if we're ever going to improve getting the public to take Migraine seriously as a health issue, it is important that organizations such as MAGNUM and advocates such as I, work to educate to educate people and dispel the misconceptions portrayed. Otherwise, these misconceptions continue and can cause catastrophic results in the lives of Migraineurs.
I would like to publicly express my gratitude to both Mr. Mayer and Ms. Ryan of Dell Corporate Communications for their willingness to open a productive dialogue on this commercial and for receiving our information and comments in a spirit of cooperation and good will. As always, I am grateful to MAGNUM, particularly staff members such as Mr. Coleman, Ms. Denny, and Ms. Burchfield, for our productive working relationship and their willingness to assist us in such matters.
Here are a few of the comments from our forum:
- I don't know about you but I have had several people make fun of the disease after watching the commercial. Family members have also said they wish mine would go away like that and then laugh. This commercial should be offensive to all who suffer from migraine attacks.
- This commercial degrades each and every migraine sufferer out there. Migraine disease is a very misunderstood condition and too many people think that it is just a headache...take an aspirin and be done with it...well, it isn't that easy...at least it isn't for me and many others here on this forum.... and THIS commercial reinforces this fragmented ideology of migraine, thereby leaving the educators of the world with even MORE work to do to remove the stereotypical view of 'migraine'. And may I ask you.... would you have made the same comment if the commercial had said... "I go in to buy I computer, and I come out mentally retarded"...now I explain how simple and great Dell computers are...and you say, 'Thanks, I feel smarter already...I think I can quit drooling and soiling myself'? Is that offensive? My guess is that your answer is YES it is...
- I see the mention of a migraine in the Dell commercial as just an exaggeration to make a point. I could come down with a migraine if I went into a computer store and had to deal with computer details. It seems plausible to me. What isn't plausible is caring to talk to the kid in the car with his girlfriend when I have a migraine.
- I can go into a store and get a headache and I'm sure others could also but I have not gone into a store, come out with a migraine, and then have some kid talk my migraine away. If anything talking to that guy would make my migraine worse. If the people in this forum find the commercial offensive it's because this disease gets a bad rap all the time and we don't need a commercial to make it worse. If this commercial used cancer, HIV, or any other disease you can bet some organization would have their butts in a sling. People with migraine disease have to fight every single day to have this disease recognized we shouldn't have to see a commercial putting out a message that migraine attacks go away so easy without the help of medications or medical personnel. I wish it were that easy.
Thank you to all who became involved in this critical advocacy and educational issue — Ms. Ryan, Mr. Mayer, Mr. Coleman, those Migraineurs who emailed us, and our forum members who spoke eloquently and passionately on an issue dear to all of us. We are all wiser and stronger for this experience.
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