Direct-to-consumer advertising for psychotropic medications is something that is so common place it is hard to believe that there was a time when we were not being told to ask our doctor about the newest antidepressant on the market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted the ban on DTC advertisement for prescription medication in 1985 (Corrigan, Kosyluk, Konadu,& Park, 2014), but it was not until 1997 that it really took off. In 1997 the FDA made it so that companies could direct individuals to websites or toll-free numbers instead of giving Brief Summary that explained how the drug worked, the benefits, and the possible adverse effects (Lurie, 2009). As pharmaceutical companies pour billions of dollars into advertising every year, the question arises …show more content…
The marketing of psychotropic medications is a science unto itself that relies on push versus pull marketing (Becker, 2015). The push aspect comes from sales representatives going to prescribing doctors to market the drug while the pulls comes DTC advertisements urging consumers to ask their doctor about the medication (Becker, 2015). While there is evidence that listing the potential side effects will lowers the persuasiveness of an advertisement (Kavadas, Prevel Katsanis, & LeBel, 2007) this doesn’t seem to be the case since every dollar spent in advertisement has a return of over four dollars for the company (Becker, 2015). The Seroquel XR advertisement that was run in People Magazine was more than half warnings and possible side effects of the medication. It is hard to judge the effectiveness of this advertisement due to not having either major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, but to have most of the ad proclaim the risks of the medication would create some concern about taking it. However, the tag line “Say ‘I’m OK’ and mean it!” is eye catching and can resonate with those who have mental illness
From the moment of its existence, car insurance has continued to be a value and necessity in the lives of every driver. With the increasing number of people that are driving, it is something that simply cannot be ignored. And what better way to share various insurance companies than through advertisements and television? Amongst the numerous selections of car insurance, Allstate has proven to withhold a successful and symbolic campaign of television advertisements. Through the use of logical appeals, dry humor, and strategic plot lines, Allstate does an efficient job at drawing its viewers in.
In Melody Peterson’s “Our Daily Meds” , the history of marketing and advertising in the pharmaceutical industry is explored. The first chapter of the book, entitled “Creating disease”, focuses on how major pharmaceutical companies successfully create new ailments that members of the public believe exist. According to Peterson, the success that these drug manufacturers have experienced can be attributed to the malleability of disease, the use of influencial people to promote new drugs, the marketing behind pills, and the use of media outlets.
In America today, many people are in need of medical help. In fact,the Federal Trade Commission estimates that 75% of the population complain of physical problems (Federal Trade Commission 9). They complain, for example, of fatigue, colds, headaches, and countless other "ailments." When these symptoms strike, 65% purchase over-the counter, or OTC, drugs. In order to take advantage of this demand, five billion dollars is spent by the pharmaceutical industry on marketing each year . This marketing, usually in the form of advert...
DTC advertisements aim to persuade that their possibly less effective drugs work better than other drugs rather than to inform consumers of correct information about drugs. The reason that pharmaceutical companies abuse the power of DTC advertising is because the pharmaceutical industry does not have a strong ethical code for advertising; their sales are so obsessed with profits. To solve this problem, policy makers should prohibit indiscreet DTC advertisements on air and fund more informative services about new drugs so that patients could make clever
Direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads are dangerous and can have serious effects on the health of the general public. In the article “Pros & Cons Arguments: ‘Should prescription drugs be advertised directly to consumers?’”, the pros and cons of the advertising of prescription drugs are compared. The negative aspects of these ads outweigh the positives. DTC prescription drug ads misinform patients, promote over-use, and pressure medical providers. The counter side argues that these ads inform patients, create a positive impact on patient compliance with medication, and cause patients to confront their doctors.
In 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a ruling to allow direct marketing to consumers as long as the pharmaceutical companies included warnings about possible side effects and other dangers. This change allowed for print-based marketing such as magazines, but in 1997, the FDA lessened the requirement for detailed warnings. Furthermore, the FDA ruled that TV ads containing only the main dangers of the drug were permissible, and this resulted in an inundation of the direct-to-consumer advertising on television. “One study showed that for each dollar of direct-to-consumer advertising on TV by the pharmaceutical company during 1999-2000 resulted in a return of $4.20 for each dollar spent. By 2005, the pharmaceutical industry spent over one billion on TV ads” (DeGeorge 319). Based on these facts, the advertising is paying off for these large pharmaceutical companies.
since the FDA allowed companies to advertise directly to consumers we saw an increase in
It may sound unbelievable that Big Pharma has tremendous influence over everybody. However, we can see advertisements and commercials everywhere around us. Commercials on television market the drugs to society by depicting nice surroundings and happy consumers. This plants subliminal messages into our brain that subconsciously affects us, telling us that this drug will produce happiness when we take it. Even ads on billboards and newspapers affect the way we see drugs. All these messages tell us that we need drugs in order to be happy in life like the mom or children depicted on T.V. Every year, the pharmaceutical industry spends over $3 billion on consumer ads and the price is nothing compared to the billions of dollars the ads help rake in.
Kaphingst, K. A. (2004). A Content Analysis of Direct-to-ConsumerTelevision Prescription Drug Advertisements. Journal of Health Communication,Volume 9: , 515–528,.
Ad campaigns that blanketed the airwaves aimed at the end consumer are no longer as effective as they once were. Citing the strategy of Sepracor in marketing their new insomnia drug, they noted that they spent nearly $70M on the initial campaign. However, a rival maker was committing no money to TV ads. Their market research had determined that the market wasn’t growing and the money would be better spent targeting the doctors who prescribe the drugs. While a pitch to the individual may result in a request at the doctor’s office for a particular drug, the doctor has final say in the process, so this new strategy on the surface appears to make sense. Only time will tell if it is effective.
“This is your Brain on Drugs” was a public service announcement created in 1987 by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America foundation. The ad was later re-imaged in 1998 under the same title, and much of the same premise. The arguments of both advertisements were the caustic effects of drugs on your brain. The PFDA formed in the mid eighties with the simple idea of using ads to advocate the dangers of drugs use. They believed the persuasive nature of advertisements could denounce a product as effectively as they could promote them. Their first real success came with the original “This is your Brain on Drugs” advertisement. As a result, many of today’s public service announcements mirror the same techniques. These techniques greatly oversimplify drug use by using common logical fallacies. The 1998 version is no different. The ad greatly oversimplifies through the use of begging the question, slippery slope, and dogmatic appeals. To better understand this, it is necessary to set the scene beforehand.
An analysis of the signs and symbols used in Patek Philippe Geneve's "Begin your own tradition" advert.
Television commercials are television programming produced by any organisation to provide message in the market about their product or services. It is one of the most popular methods to attract customer and provide them information about their products or services.
This paper will analyze an ATT commercial according to audience, purpose, context, ethics, and stance. The focus will emphasize the audience which the aid is trying to reach and how they do so.
“If the maxim passes all three tests, it is moral, but if it fails any one of the three then it is immoral” (DeGeorge 67). Even though I do not feel that the practice passes the universal test, I will continue by looking at the last two aspects of the categorical imperative. To have good will according to Kant’s belief, one must perform the duty for the sake of the duty with no other reasons in mind. In this case, drug companies claim they are providing medical information and treatment knowledge to inform the public, but their main reason for advertising is to sell their product to increase profits. “It would be disingenuous to claim that TV ads achieved these returns without exerting any influence on prescribing patterns” (Lo). The second