Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 1, Issue 2 , Pages 331-347 , June 2005

Methodological challenges surrounding direct-to-consumer advertising research—The measurement conundrum

  • Richard A. Hansen, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Division of Pharmaceutical Policy & Evaluative Sciences, CB 7360—205M Beard Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author.
    • ,
  • Marcus Droege, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pharmaceutical & Administrative Sciences, Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, 3200 S. University Drive, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA

References 

  1. Humphreys A, Boersig C. 10th annual report on DTC. MedAdNews. 2004;23:
  2. Rosenthal MB, Berndt ER, Donohue JM, Frank RG, Epstein AM. Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:498–505
  3. GAO . Prescription Drugs: FDA Oversight of Direct-to-consumer Advertising has Limitations. United States General Accounting Office; 2002;
  4. Palumbo F, Mullins C. The development of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising regulation. Food Drug Law J. 2002;57:423
  5. Rossiter JL, Percy L. Advertising and Promotion Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company; 1987;
  6. Lavidge RJ, Steiner GA. A model for predictive measurements of advertising effectiveness. J Mark. 1961;25:59–62
  7. Chang HS, Kinnucan HW. Measuring exposure to advertising: a look at gross rating points. Agribusiness. 1992;8:413–423
  8. Donohue JM, Berndt ER, Rosenthal MB, Epstein AM, Frank RG. Effects of pharmaceutical promotion on adherence to the treatment guidelines for depression. Med Care. 2004;42:1176–1185
  9. Zachry WM, Shepherd MD, Hinich MJ, et al. Relationship between direct-to-consumer advertising and physician diagnosing and prescribing. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2002;59:42–49
  10. Eichner R, Maronick TJ. A review of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and sales of prescription drugs: does DTC advertising increase sales and market share?. J Pharm Mark Manag. 2001;13:19–42
  11. Hansen RA, Schommer JC, Cline RR, Hadsall RS, Schondelmeyer SW, Nyman JA. The association of consumer cost-sharing and direct-to-consumer advertising with prescription drug use. RSAP 2005;1:139–157.
  12. Chung C, Kaiser HM. Measurement of advertising effectiveness using alternative measures of advertising exposure. Agribusiness. 1999;15:525–537
  13. Schommer JC, Doucette WR, Mehta BH. Rote learning after exposure to a direct-to-consumer television advertisement for a prescription drug. Clin Ther. 1998;20:617–632
  14. Davis JJ. Riskier than we think? The relationship between risk statement completeness and perceptions of direct to consumer advertised prescription drugs. J Health Commun. 2000;5:349–369
  15. Sheth JN. Measurement of advertising effectiveness: some theoretical considerations. J Advert. 1974;3:6–11
  16. Palda KS. The hypothesis of a hierarchy of effects: a partial evaluation. J Mark Res. 1966;3:13–24
  17. Aikin KJ, Swasy JL, Braman AC. Patient and Physician Attitudes and Behaviors Associated With DTC Promotion of Prescription Drugs—Summary of FDA Survey Research Results. Rockville: US Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; 2004;
  18. Williams JR, Hensel PJ. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. J Health Care Mark. 1995;15:35–41
  19. Slaughter E. Navigating the medication marketplace: how consumers choose. Prevention Magazine. 1997;
  20. Slaughter E. International survey on wellness and consumers reaction to DTC advertising of Rx drugs. Prevention Magazine. 2001;1:1–72
  21. Perri M, Nelson AA. An exploratory analysis of consumer recognition of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications. J Health Care Mark. 1987;7:9–17
  22. Bell RA, Wilkes MS, Kravitz RL. Advertisement-induced prescription drug requests: patients' anticipated reactions to a physician who refuses. J Fam Pract. 1999;48:446–452
  23. Robinson AR, Hohmann KB, Rifkin JI, et al. Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: physician and public opinion and potential effects on the physician-patient relationship. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:427–432
  24. Aikin KJ. Direct-to-consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs: Preliminary Patient Survey Results. Rockville: US Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; 2002;
  25. Alperstein NM, Peyrot M. Consumer awareness of prescription drug advertising. J Advert Res. 1993;50–56
  26. Peyrot M, Alperstein NM, Van Doren D, Poli LG. Direct-to-consumer ads can influence behavior: advertising increases consumer knowledge and prescription drug requests. Mark Health Serv. 1998;18:26–32
  27. Welch Cline RJ, Young HN. Marketing drugs, marketing health care relationships: a content analysis of visual cues in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. Health Commun. 2004;16:131–157
  28. Brown SP, Stayman DM. Antecedents and consequences of attitude toward the ad: a meta-analysis. J Consum Res. 1992;19:34–51
  29. In:  Thorson E,  Chi A,  Leavitt C editor. Attention, Memory, Attitude, and Conation: a Test of the Advertising Hierarchy.  Sherry JF,  Sternthal B editor. Advances in Consumer Research. vol. 19:Provo: Association for Consumer Research; 1992;
  30. MacInnis DJ, Jaworski B. Information processing from advertisements: toward an integrative framework. J Mark. 1989;53:1–23
  31. Petty RE, Cacioppo JT. Involvement and persuasion: tradition versus integration. Psychol Bull. 1990;107:367–374
  32. Alba JW, Hutchinson JW. Dimensions of consumer expertise. J Consum Res. 1987;13:411–454
  33. Curlo E, Chamblee R. Ad processing and persuasion: the role of brand identification. Psychol Mark. 1998;15:279–299
  34. Bell RA, Kravitz RL, Wilkes MS. Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising and the public. J Gen Intern Med. 1999;14:651–657
  35. De Sloover Koch Y, Ernst ME, Kelly MW. Patient perceptions about drug advertising and prescription-to-nonprescription switches. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2002;59:1568
  36. Haskins JB. Factual recall as a measure of advertising effectiveness. J Advert Res. 1964;4:2–8
  37. Sumpradit N, Fors SW, McCormick L. Consumers' attitudes and behavior toward prescription drug advertising. Am J Health Behav. 2002;26:68–75
  38. Meade-D'Alisera P, Merriweather T, Wentland M. Impact of commercial marketing on patient demand. Urol Nurs. 2001;21:406–407410
  39. Weissman JS, Blumenthal D, Silk AJ, et al. Consumers' reports on the health effects of direct-to-consumer drug advertising. Health Aff (Millwood). 2003;82–95Web Exclusives (W3)
  40. Mintzes B, Barer ML, Kravitz RL, et al. Influence of direct to consumer pharmaceutical advertising and patients' requests on prescribing decisions: two site cross sectional survey. BMJ. 2002;324:278–279
  41. Weissman JS, Blumenthal D, Silk AJ, Newman M, Feibelmann S. Physicians report on patient encounters involving direct-to-consumer advertising. Health Aff (Millwood). 2004;23:W4219–W4233
  42. Mintzes B, Barer ML, Kravitz RL, et al. How does direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) affect prescribing? A survey in primary care environments with and without legal DTCA. Can Med Assoc J. 2003;169:405–412
  43. Basara LR. The impact of a direct-to-consumer prescription medication advertising campaign on new prescription volume. Drug Inf J. 1996;30:715–729
  44. Zachry WM, Dalen JE, Jackson TR. Clinicians' responses to direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:1808–1812
  45. Avorn J, Chen M, Hartley R. Scientific versus commercial sources of influence on the prescribing behavior of physicians. Am J Med. 1982;73:4–8
  46. Anonymous . Advertising payback. Control Rep. 2002;11:5
  47. Jones JP. The Ultimate Secrets of Advertising. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc; 2002;
  48. Bartels LM. Instrumental and quasi-experimental variables. Am J Polit Sci. 1991;35:777–800
  49. Aikin KJ. Empowering patients and direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs: current research findings. Paper presented at 11th annual Invitational Conference: Quality and Consumerism—The Patients Role in Health Care. Tucson, Ariz; 2003.

PII: S1551-7411(05)00037-9

doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2005.03.005

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Volume 1, Issue 2 , Pages 331-347 , June 2005

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution