ABSTRACT
One of the most prevalent and controversial categories of advertising is advertising directed to consumers for prescription drugs. A prescription drug is defined as a drug that a consumer can only obtain through a prescription written by a physician or dentist and filled by a pharmacist. Prescription drugs differ from over-the-counter drugs (OTC), which are drugs that consumers can purchase without a prescription. Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs differs from virtually all other advertising messages in two important ways. First, advertisements must, by law, include both benefits and risk information about the advertised drug. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for developing and enforcing policies for advertising prescription drugs in the United States; these policies monitor whether DTC advertising executions meet a range of requirements.1 Second, members of the target audience for DTC advertisements cannot, by law, purchase the advertised drug without the permission of a medical professional (e.g., a licensed physician, doctor of osteopathy, or dentist). Due to these important differences, DTC advertisements must not only persuade a consumer to want the advertised drugs-as with every other type of advertisement-but DTC ads must also persuade the consumers to have a conversation with their health professionals to request the advertised drug. This chapter will focus primarily on two key elements identified in Thorson and Rodgers’ Figure 1.1: the messages and receivers of DTC advertising. Focusing on the content of DTC messages is important because these messages include both positive and negative information about the drug, as directed by law. The focus on message receivers is important because the ultimate consumers for prescription drugs cannot make the purchase decision on their own-they require the permission of a certified medical professional-thereby making the persuasive aspect of ad messaging different from most other types of advertised products in that consumers discuss and request the medication from an authorized provider.
