So what is the benefit to Pfizer of giving away all that revenue? For one thing, keeping the jobless on its drugs for free will keep them from switching to a less expensive generic version. So assuming they get jobs in a year, those currently jobless folks will probably return to buying the Pfizer products through their future employers' health plans instead of defecting permanently to the generic version.

As the U.S. initiates a major effort to lower health care costs, Pfizer is also hoping it can bank a huge amount of popular goodwill that could protect it against lawmakers' efforts to force Pfizer and its peers to cut prices on their products.

And unless all its competitors follow suit, Pfizer will be able to stand out from the crowd when it comes to its advertising message.

Viva Pfizer!

Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College. His eighth book is You Can't Order Change: Lessons from Jim McNerney's Turnaround at Boeing. He has no financial interest in Pfizer securities.