Advertising branded pharmaceuticals to consumers with chronic illness is big business; half of all direct-to-consumer advertising money is for drugs to treat chronic diseases. This research investigates the impact of emotional appeals in ads targeted to consumers with chronic disease. In an online experiment with over 240 average consumers either living with a diagnosis of arthritis or diabetes or not, our results suggest that positive emotional appeals are more effective at eliciting feelings of hope and generally result in more favorable attitudes, although level of consumer involvement impacts the perceived credibility of the ad and behavioral intentions.
FroschDLGrandeDTamDM. A decade of controversy: Balancing policy with evidence in the regulation of prescription drug advertising. Am J Public Health2010; 100: 24–32.
3.
AbelGABursteinHJHeveloneND. Cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising: Awareness, perceptions, and reported impact among patients undergoing active cancer treatment. J Clin Oncol2009; 27: 4182–4187.
4.
BellRATaylorLDKravitzRL. Do antidepressant advertisements educate consumers and promote communication between patients with depression and their physicians?Patient Educ Couns2010; 81: 245–250.
5.
GranthamSAhemLConnolly-AhernC. Merck's One Less Campaign: Using risk message frames to promote the use of Gardasil in HPV prevention. Commun Res Rep2011; 28: 318–326.
6.
KeesJBonePFKozupJ. Barely or fairly balancing drug risks? Content and format effects in direct-to-consumer online prescription drug promotions. Psych Mark2008; 25: 675–691.
7.
PolenHHKhanfarNMClausonKA. Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on patient health-related behaviors and issues. Health Mark Q2009; 26: 42–55.
MainKJArgoJJHuhmannBA. Pharmaceutical advertising in the USA: Information or influence?Int J Adv2004; 23: 119–142.
10.
LiuYPearsonYE. Direct-to-Consumer marketing of predictive medical genetic tests: Assessment of current practices and policy recommendations. J Public Policy Mark2008; 27: 131–148.
11.
TsaiWHLancasterAR. Message strategies in Direct-to-Consumer pharmaceutical advertising: A content analysis using Taylor's six-segment message strategy wheel. Health Mark Q2012; 29: 239–255.
12.
KimHLeeC. Presumed influence of endorser and fear appeal in DTC prescription drug advertising: Are they overpowering consumers' judgments?J Med Mark2012; 12: 247–258.
13.
LimbuYBHuhmannBAPetersonRT. An examination of humor and endorser effects on consumers' responses to direct-to-consumer advertising. Int J Pharm Healthc Mark2012; 6: 23–38.
14.
BhutadaNSCookCLPerriMIII. Consumers responses to coupons in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. Health Mark Q2009; 26: 333–346.
15.
DensNde PelsmackerP. Advertising for extensions: Moderating effects of extension type, advertising strategy, and product category involvement on extension evaluation. Mark Lett2010; 21: 175–189.
16.
LimbuYBHuhmannBAPetersonRT. An examination of humor and endorser effects on consumers' responses to direct-to-consumer advertising. Int J Pharm Healthc Mark2012; 6: 23–38.
17.
PettyRECacioppoJT. The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Adv Exp Soc Psych1986; 19: 123–205.
18.
ElleryTHansenN. Pharmaceutical lifecycle management: Making the most of each and every brand, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 2012.
19.
Dillard JP and Nabi RL. The persuasive influence of emotion in cancer prevention and detection messages. J Commun 2006; 56(S1): S123–S139.
20.
SpearsNEBlanksonCGuzmanF. Hope and fear in an advertisement context: Understanding how hope undoes fear. J Curr Issues Res Adv2012; 33: 79–93.
21.
Leifer R. Psychological and spiritual factors in chronic illness. Am Behav Sci 1996; 39(6): 752–766.
22.
GrumbachK. Chronic illness, comorbidities, and the need for medical generalism. Ann Fam Med2003; 1: 4–7.
23.
SteinKDSyrjalaKLAndrykowskiMA. Physical and psychological long-term and late effects of cancer. Cancer2008; 112: 2577–2592.
24.
RustøenTWiklundI. Hope in newly diagnosed patients with cancer. Cancer Nurs2000; 23: 214–219.
25.
RustoenTCooperBAMiaskowskiC. The importance of hope as a mediator of psychological distress and life satisfaction in a community sample of cancer patients. Cancer Nurs2010; 33: 258–267.
26.
Von RoennJHvon GuntenCF. Setting goals to maintain hope. J Clin Psychol2003; 21: 570–574.
27.
WagnerEHAustinBTDavisC. Improving chronic illness care: Translating evidence into action. Health Aff2001; 20: 64–78.
28.
Welch ClineRJYoungHN. Marketing drugs, marketing health care relationships: A content analysis of visual cues in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. Health Commun2004; 16: 131–157.
29.
MakaremSSmithMMudambiS. Why people do not always follow the doctor's orders: The role of hope and perceived control. J Consum Aff2014; 48: 457–485.
30.
DugglebyWHicksDNekolaichukC. Hope, older adults, and chronic illness: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research. J Adv Nurs2012; 68: 1211–1223.
31.
MacInnisDJde MelloGE. The concept of hope and its relevance to product evaluation and choice. J Mark2005; 69: 1–14.
32.
de MelloGEMacInnisDJStewartDW. Threats to hope: Effects on reasoning about product information. J Consum Res2007; 34: 153–161.
33.
TiedensLZLintonS. Judgment under emotional certainty and uncertainty: The effects of specific emotions on information processing. J Pers Soc Psych2001; 81: 973–998.
34.
NorrisRLBaileyRLBollsPD. Effects of emotional tone and visual complexity on processing health information in prescription drug advertising. Health Commun2012; 27: 42–48.
35.
CoxADCoxDPowell MantelS. Consumer response to drug risk information: The role of positive affect. J Mark2010; 74: 31–44.
36.
KavadasCKatsanisLPLeBelJ. The effects of risk disclosure and ad involvement on consumers in DTC advertising. J Consum Mark2007; 24: 171–179.
37.
LimbuYBHuhmannBAPetersonRT. An examination of humor and endorser effects on consumers' responses to direct-to-consumer advertising. Int J Pharm Healthc Mark2012; 6: 23–38.
38.
ConnorsAL. Big bad pharma: An ethical analysis of physician-directed and consumer-directed marketing tactics. Albany Law Rev2009; 73: 243–282.
39.
DelbaereMSmithMC. Health care knowledge and consumer learning: The case of direct-to-consumer advertising. Health Mark Q2006; 23: 9–29.
40.
AbelGAPensonRTJoffeS. Direct-to-consumer advertising in oncology. Oncologist2006; 11: 217–226.
41.
LiangBAMackeyT. Direct-to-consumer advertising with interactive Internet media: Global regulation and public health issues. JAMA2011; 305: 824–825.
42.
FroschDLGrandeDTarnDM. A decade of controversy: Balancing policy with evidence in the regulation of prescription drug advertising. Am J Public Health2010; 100: 24–32.
43.
AlmasiEAStaffordRSKravitzRL. What are the public health effects of direct-to-consumer advertising?PLoS Med2006; 3: e145.
44.
FroschDL. Creating demand for prescription drugs: A content analysis of television direct-to-consumer advertising. Ann Fam Med2007; 5: 6–13.
45.
WolfMSDavisTCTilsonHH. Misunderstanding of prescription drug warning labels among patients with low literacy. Am J Health-Syst Ph2006; 63: 1048–1055.
46.
MaciasWPashupatiKLewisLS. A wonderful life of diarrhea and dry mouth? Policy issues of direct-to-consumer drug advertising on television. Health Commun2007; 22: 241–252.
47.
Ahmad SharabatiAASalim KhraimHAtta KhateebR. Relationship between direct-to-consumer advertising and consumers' decision-making. Int J Pharm Healthcare Market2014; 8: 178–192.
48.
MackeyTKLiangBA. It's time to shine the light on direct-to-consumer advertising. Ann Fam Med2015; 13: 82–85.
Gu Q, Dillon C and Burt VL. Prescription drug use continues to increase: U.S. prescription drug data for 2007-2008. NCHS Brief, 42, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db42.pdf. (2010, accessed 1 June 2015).
LorigKRRitterPStewartA. Chronic disease self-management program: 2-year health status and health care utilization outcomes. Med Care2001; 39: 1217–1223.
53.
KrezmienEWanzerMBServossT. The role of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements and individual differences in getting people to talk to physicians. J Health Commun2011; 16: 831–848.
54.
MyersTANisbetMCMaibachEW. A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change. Clim Change2012; 113: 1105–1112.
