The most destructive ad campaign in history
Nudge21 Apr 2025

The most destructive ad campaign in history

How did a marketing campaign lead to one of the worst public health disasters in American history? In this episode, I investigate the rise and fall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical empire they built, and the marketing tactics that got millions addicted to opioids. You’ll learn: How reframing turned OxyContin from a last resort into a “safe” everyday drug. Why a vague letter (not a study) became the foundation for Purdue’s 1% addiction claim. How the Sacklers used doctors, pain groups, and celebrities to exploit authority bias. Why repeating a false claim makes it more believable (feat. the mere exposure effect). How behavioural science helped sell a deadly drug—and what we can learn from it. --- Shatterproof non-profit: https://shatterproof.org/ Empire of Pain: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612861/empire-of-pain-by-patrick-radden-keefe/ Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ --- Sources: ABC News. (2025). Purdue Pharma, Sackler family to pay $7.4 billion opioid settlement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2uuX1NaQo LastWeekTonight. (2016). Opioids: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o CBS News. (2019). OxyContin maker facing over 2,000 opioid death-related lawsuits [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwGGlEFKrSs ABC News. (2019). Local governments file lawsuit against the family behind OxyContin [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlSDhuhLedg CBS News. (2022). Trump Organization’s accounting firm cuts ties over financial statements [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csAS4WLvMao BBC News. (2013). Serpentine Sackler Gallery Opening [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YThcpSZIN0c CBS New York. (2021). Metropolitan Museum Of Art Will Remove Sackler Name From Galleries [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u29BL2CQE CBC News. (2019). Dozens Storm The Guggenheim Museum In Protest Of Donor [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci_yOI3Wyto CBS News. (2019). Protestors stage a “Die In” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYVvIwbxX2I CNBC Television. (2020). Would have done ‘nothing’ differently in opioid crisis: Kathe Sackler says [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl-Zjyf2UE STAT. (2017). 1998 Purdue Pharma marketing video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaxlJXpwkzs GoLocal LIVE. (2019). Purdue Pharmaceutical Commercial 1998-Oxycontin [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOl1exq3IM CBS News. (2017). Behind Purdue Pharma’s marketing of OxyContin [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-jxKPpMvmA LastWeekTonight. (2019). Opioids III: The Sacklers: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaCaIhfETsM LastWeekTonight. (2021). McKinsey: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiOUojVd6xQ CBS News. (2018). Whistleblower: Purdue Pharma continued deceptive sales practices after guilty plea [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qQf3Po31M Washington Post. (2019). Inside the opioid industry’s marketing machine [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlpd40CpT0 CBC News. (2018). How One Man Made The Opioid Crisis Possible [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2AUIBB34nI CBC News. (2019). Nan Goldin ‘Blizzard of Prescriptions’ Sackler Pain Guggenheim Protest & Die-In 2/9/19 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2A4Tb8cOxE Keefe, P. R. (2021). Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. Doubleday. Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Revised ed.). Harper Business.

Episoder(285)

Tiny Tweaks to Make Travel Easier

Tiny Tweaks to Make Travel Easier

Imagine if your business could implement a tiny, cost-free change that increased sales and made customers happier. It sounds like magic, but the travel industry does it all the time. Moscow metro uses...

20 Jun 202230min

Habit Moulding Marketing

Habit Moulding Marketing

Is there a good strategy to win in rock paper scissors? Apparently, there is. In this podcast, you’ll learn how habit moulding marketing has increased gym-goers, podcast listeners, and retirement savi...

6 Jun 202223min

3 Nudges I Wish I Learned at Business School

3 Nudges I Wish I Learned at Business School

I spent £50,000 on a marketing degree and didn’t learn a thing about behavioural science. I came into marketing unprepared, and a bit crap at my job. But behavioural science offered a solution. I lear...

23 Mai 202220min

64% of us would vandalise a library book. Would you?

64% of us would vandalise a library book. Would you?

Most of us hate asking for things. But should we? In today’s show, I’m joined by Professor Vanessa Bohns who has spent her career asking 15,000 people for things. Her findings reveal that most of us h...

9 Mai 202222min

#80: You have more influence than you think

#80: You have more influence than you think

When you think of influence you probably think of Beyonce, Ronaldo, or Obama. But you don’t think about yourself. In today’s show, Professor Vanessa Bohns talks about the influence you already have. S...

25 Apr 202226min

#79: Primacy Effect | Why Going First Wins

#79: Primacy Effect | Why Going First Wins

Do you want the good news or bad news first? It's a common question, with a simple answer. Always start with good news. In this episode learn why New York elections aren't fair, how two products with ...

11 Apr 202218min

 #78: Nature vs nurture with Lisa Feldman Barrett

#78: Nature vs nurture with Lisa Feldman Barrett

Nature or nurture. What’s more important? It’s an age-old debate that’s been argued over millennia. But there shouldn’t be a debate. Because there’s a scientific answer. To find out, hear Lisa Feldman...

28 Mar 202222min

#77: Debunking myths about the brain

#77: Debunking myths about the brain

There’s a lot of nonsense in marketing. Especially when it comes to the brain. At most conferences, you’ll hear some marketer harping on about “appealing to the left brain” or “targeting the lizard br...

15 Mar 202224min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
finansredaksjonen
pengesnakk
pengepodden-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
liberal-halvtime
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
okonomiamatorene
rss-politisk-preik