The effects of advertising skepticism in consumer prescription drug advertising

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumers’ prescription drug advertising (DTCA) skepticism on their advertising evaluation. In addition, the study investigates the moderating role of health risk information location in DTCA and the mediating role of perceived message effectiveness to address when and how the skepticism effects are maximized or minimized. Design/methodology/approach The study used a controlled lab experiment to enhance internal validity. Findings This study found that when risk information was presented earlier in a more prominent manner, it appeared to reduce the DTCA skepticism effects. In contrast, the DTCA skepticism effects remained considerable when benefit information was presented earlier. Research limitations/implications The artificial nature of the controlled lab setting suggests conducting future research in a more natural setting using various therapeutic and product categories to enhance ecological and external validity. Practical implications Pharmaceutical marketers could reduce consumers’ DTCA skepticism effects on their advertising evaluation by using situational message strategies. The prominence of health risk disclosure could be one of such strategies. Social implications The FDA’s industry guidance for DTCA risk communication suggests that the location of risk information in the ad may play an important role in determining its prominence. However, little is known about how complying with the FDA’s risk communication guidance by presenting a more prominent risk disclosure can affect consumers’ ad evaluation by affecting the DTCA skepticism effects. The current study provides empirical evidence for the importance of the health risk disclosure prominence. Originality/value Because the FDA’s release of the DTCA risk communication guidance, little empirical research has been conducted to examine a wide range of situational message factors that may affect consumers’ response to DTCA risk communication. The current study filled the gap in the literature by addressing the interplay between consumer and message factors in the DTCA context.

„Nacionalinės moralės“ išimtis Nesąžiningos komercinės veiklos direktyvoje

Šiame straipsnyje yra analizuojamos skirtingose ES valstybėse narėse nagrinėtos reklamos vertinimo moralumo požiūriu bylos, siekiant atskleisti tam tikrose valstybėse, o kartais ir skirtingose tos pačios valstybės dalyse skirtingai suvokiamą moralumą, idant parodyti, kad Nesąžiningos komercinės veiklos direktyvos 7-ojoje konstatuojamoje dalyje įtvirtinta, straipsnyje vadinama „nacionalinės moralės“ išimtis yra pakankamai pozityvus Nesąžiningos komercinės veiklos direktyvos bruožas. Straipsnyje taip pat atskleidžiama, kad neretai reklamos vertinimas moralumo požiūriu yra pakankamai subjektyvus, o „nacionalinės moralės“ išimtis yra pernelyg plati. Todėl straipsnyje prieinama prie išvados, kad, nepaisant, jog nėra vienos moralės, vienodos kultūros ES, „nacionalinės moralės“ išimtis nėra absoliuti ir, siekiant tinkamai įgyvendinti Direktyvoje 2005/29/EB įtvirtintus tikslus, tam tikras jos ribojimas anksčiau ar vėliau turės būti nustatytas.The article explores advertising evaluation from the morality perspective based on jurisprudence of some EU Member States, seeking to reveal that morality can be diversely perceived in different countries as well as in separate regions of the same country. Therefore, the so called National Moral’s exception established in Recital 7 of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is considered a positive feature thereof. The article also discovers that advertising evaluation from the morality perspective is often fairly subjective and the National Moral’s exception is too broad. The article arrives at the conclusion that notwithstanding the inexistence of common morality and culture within the EU, the National Moral’s exception is not absolute and in order to fulfil the aims of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive some restrictions must be established sooner or later therein.