On the Nature and Properties of Appeals Used in Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs

2000 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 597-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Pharmaceutical Advertising ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
The Past ◽  
Emotional Appeals ◽  
Popular Magazines ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising

The past decade has seen a steady rise in expenditures for direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. While total revenues across all media are approaching the $1 billion dollar mark, surprisingly little is known about the effectiveness of these types of advertisements, including the appropriateness of various forms of emotional and informational appeal. A content analysis of direct-to-consumer advertising in 24 popular magazines shows that these advertisements are found in every category of magazine, the advertisements employ a mix of informational and emotional appeals, all types of emotional appeals are used, and to date, the type of appeal (emotional and/or informational) tends not to be based on the type of drug advertised. Implications of this content analysis are considered and directions for research on appeals used in direct-to-consumer advertising are suggested.

Look, Puppies! A Visual Content Analysis of Required Risk Statements Embedded in Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61
Author(s):  
Jesse King ◽  
Leslie Koppenhafer ◽  
Robert Madrigal
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Pharmaceutical Advertising ◽  
Visual Content ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Risk Statement

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on television is a prominent source of information about medical conditions and their potential treatments. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that DTCA include a major statement presenting the medication’s most important risk information in a fair and balanced manner. However, there is growing concern about the visual content that accompanies this risk information within DTCA major statements. Specifically, the FDA has failed to provide guidance on how to measure DTCA’s adherence to the fair and balanced provision. This research introduces eight metrics organized into three categories to perform a visual content analysis of 230 existing DTCAs. Using these metrics, the authors test for differences in visual content between the major risk statement and the remaining portions of an ad. Our results indicate that the major risk statements of DTCAs feature more positive imagery, visually complex imagery, and motion than other portions of the ads. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for public policy makers, consumers, and marketers.

scholarly journals Creating Demand for Prescription Drugs: A Content Analysis of Television Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Frosch ◽  
P. M. Krueger ◽  
R. C. Hornik ◽  
P. F. Cronholm ◽  
F. K. Barg
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising

The Effect of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs on Retail Gross Margins: Empirical Evidence and Public Policy Implications

1997 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Kopp ◽  
Mary Jane Sheffet
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Drug Products ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
The Past ◽  
Dual Stage ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising ◽  
Gross Margins

In the past decade, manufacturers of prescription drug products have begun advertising their products directly to consumers. Among the controversies surrounding this practice is its effect on prescription drug prices. The authors examine the effects of manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer advertising on retail gross margins to determine what the effect of such advertising has been on retailers’ margins. The authors test a hypothesis that is based on the “dual-stage ” theory, which describes a relationship between manufacturers’ advertising and the retail gross margins of advertised brands, and, on the basis of the results, discuss public policy implications.

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in Oncology: A Content Analysis of Print Media

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1267-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Abel ◽  
Stephanie J. Lee ◽  
Jane C. Weeks
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Clinical Trial Data ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Type Size ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Popular Magazines ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising

Purpose Content analysis of cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), with a focus on how benefit and risk/adverse effect information is presented, is essential to understanding its potential impact on oncology outcomes. Methods We reviewed all oncology DTCA appearing in three patient-focused cancer magazines and a sample of selected popular magazines from January 2003 to June 2006. We determined the Flesch reading ease score (FRES) for the text in each advertisement (a score ≥ 65 is readable for the average person). We also assessed the proportion, type size, and placement of benefits and risks/adverse effects, as well as the nature and content of advertising appeals. Results Of 284 advertisements identified, 49 were unique. Oncology-related DTCA was rare in the popular magazines, and appeared mostly in those aimed at female readership. About equal amounts of text were devoted to benefits and risks/adverse effects, and all text was difficult to read. The mean FRES for benefit text was 39.71; for risk/adverse effect text, it was 38.22, a difference of 1.49 (95% CI, −4.02 to 7.00). The largest font size for benefits was 4.60 mm on average; for risks/adverse effects, it was 2.38 mm, a difference of 2.22 mm (95% CI, 1.35 to 3.09). Appeals to medication effectiveness were frequent (95%) and often made with clinical trial data (61%). Conclusion Oncology print DTCA is prevalent in cancer-related, patient-directed magazines, and infrequent in the popular press. The information presented is considerably difficult to read, raising important questions about the appropriateness of direct-to-consumer marketing for oncologic medications.

scholarly journals Controversial advertising of medicines. A comparison between Poland and the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
Marta Makowska
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Law And Ethics ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Law ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising

For many years, the subject of aggressive marketing campaigns conducted by pharmaceutical companies has been raised in Poland. Drug ads are everywhere, on television, the radio, magazines and on the Internet. Therefore, it is extremely important is to ensure both their legal and ethical dimension. This article will present the differences between direct-to-consumer advertising of medicines in Poland and in the US. The dissimilarities result mainly from differences in legislation. In Poland, the law is much stricter than in the US. For example, in the United States companies are allowed to advertise prescription drugs directly to patients. In the whole of the European Union, and thus in Poland, it is strictly prohibited. The article will also present other regulations existing in Poland and in the United States and it will compare them. It will offer examples of violations of the law and ethics in the advertising of medicine in both countries. Lastly, it will briefly outline the negative consequences of unacceptable pharmaceutical marketing.

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