Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3513

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Juergens JP.
Advertising in the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy.
Am J Hosp Pharm 1987 Jul; 44:(7):1647-51

Abstract:

An analysis of drug, product, and service advertisements in the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy was undertaken. Each issue from 1965, 1975, and 1985 was examined to determine the total number of pages, the number and percentage of pages devoted to ads and different types of ads, the relative proportions of multipage ads, the number of color advertisements, and the relative proportions of monochromatic and full-color ads. There were substantial increases in the number of pages in the Journal and in the proportion devoted to advertising (29.9% in 1965, 38.6% in 1975, 50.5% in 1985). The proportion of professional content decreased by 21%. The proportion of advertising devoted to drugs was nearly the same in 1965 (51.5%) and 1975 (49.2%), but greater in 1985 (61.1%). The proportion of multipage drug ads increased from 26.7% in 1965 to 37.4% in 1975 and 49.5% in 1985. From 1965 to 1975, the number of color ads increased by only 22%, but there was a four-fold increase in the number of full-color ads. In 1985, there were four times as many color ads as in 1975, and 82.7% of these were full color. The results confirm that an increasing proportion of the Journal has been devoted to ads. They also indicate major changes in ads. There were also substantial decreases in papers describing pharmaceutical services and pharmaceutics research report, but an upsurge in clinical material. It is not possible to know whether the changes in advertising relate to changes in the profession, changes in the pharmaceutical industry, or economic pressures on ASHP. It appears that ASHP has overlooked the impact of advertising, and it is appropriate that it should re-evaluate the entire content of the Journal.

Keywords:
*analytic survey/United States/ Advertising* Pharmacy Service, Hospital Publishing