Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6783

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

Brock TP, Smith MC.
A content analysis of the appeals used in advertising in the Americal Journal of Hospital Pharmacy in 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990
Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management 1998; 12:(4):43

Abstract:

Previous research efforts have identified pharmaceutical advertising appeals that attempt to motivate physicians to prescribe or pharmacists to dispense a particular drug product. The information provided by this study represents a description and quantification of a 30-year progression of drug product advertising directed at the institutional pharmacist. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the totalnumber of pharmaceutical advertising appeals encountered in the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy in 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990, (2) to determine the frequency of advertisements in the study years with respect to type of appeal, (3) to determine external rationale for any trends identified, and (4) to identify any new appeal types. A total of 896 drug product advertisements in 7071 journal pages were evaluated to reveal a total of 4537 appeal appearances. The average number of appeals per advertisement increased from 3.82 in 1960 to 5.75 in 1990, and several new appeal categories were suggested.

Keywords:
*content analysis/United States/pharmacies and pharmacists/ journal advertisements/ images in ads/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: CONSUMERS/PATIENTS/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS/IMAGES IN PROMOTION: SCIENTIFIC APPEAL