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Bayer Hires The Hills' Lo Bosworth to Tout Birth Control Pill Yaz

By Jim Edwards | Jan 26, 2009

Bayer has hired Lo Bosworth, the least-interesting of the cast of MTV’s The Hills, as an endorser and spokeswoman for birth-control pill Yaz.

Bosworth, is regarded to have been brought onto the vapid show for the purpose of creating a rift between stars Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag.

The Vancover Sun describes her qualifications as a prescription drug-pusher this way:

She’s also 22, which means she has sex.

(Interestingly, Bosworth has struggled with producers to keep her boyfriends off camera, so she’s actually the least-sexually active person in the cast.) That’s not the only part of Bayer’s logic. There’s also this:

The Hills 2008 finale drew nearly five million viewers aged 12 to 34.

You have to admire the company’s logic. The move makes Bayer the most pop-savvy of all the drug companies operating in the U.S. The company previously hooked up with Jonas Brother Nick Jonas for its diabetes brands.

The strategy is interestingly risky for Bayer. Hollywood celebs have a habit of getting pregnant just for the publicity. Which would be disastrous for Yaz.

While Bosworth is supposed to be the smart one on the show, that isn’t saying much:

Bosworth said she was initially reluctant to become a spokeswoman for the contraceptive, but said she researched the drug’s claims and was won over.

(She’s a UCLA art history grad, which must have been useful when she got to the table of P-values.) Here’s what she told E! recently:

“Watching yourself on televsion is a really good way to better yourself.”

Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.

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    aunt pitty pat

    01/27/09 | Report as spam

    RE: Bayer Hires The Hills? Lo Bosworth to Tout Birth Control Pill Yaz

    Wondering what your criteria is for "least interesting". Is it related to your comment that Bosworth is also the "least sexually active" cast member? Is Audrina removing her bikini top on air far more "interesting"?
    Perhaps the socially responsible thing, given the (yet again) rising number of teen pregnancies, is to offer a relateable, responsible spokesperson.
    And why disparage Bosworth's intellectual abilities? Any idea just how tough it is to be admitted to UCLA? And, wow, it's astute to note that art history majors generally don't minor in statistics - what does that prove? Maybe you're in that group of narrow minded individuals who believe art/music offerings in public schools are a waste of time and money. Lastly, have you ever observed yourself in a home video and vowed to make a few changes? Maybe you should try it.

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