American consumers are exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements every day (Simpson J. Finding brand success in the digital world. Forbes. August 25, 2017). Ads come in all shapes and sizes, including print, TV, and radio ads, logos, billboards, and social media sponsored posts. According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, upper respiratory medications are by far the highest-selling segment of the over-the-counter (OTC) drug market, with 1.15 billion units sold in 2017.
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December 2022The connection between these two figures isn’t accidental. Spending for prescription drugs for respiratory conditions is also off the charts. In September 2022 alone, Regeneron/Sanofi, Tarrytown, N.Y., spent the most ever ($29.4 million) on TV advertising for one drug—Dupixent (dupilumab)—in the United States (Adams B. AbbVie continues top TV drug ad spender reign and Pfizer’s Comirnaty makes new appearance, as overall spend jumps. Fierce Pharma. October 10, 2022). “Dupixent is FDA approved for multiple uses, but this spend is still quite high,” said Janelle Applequist, PhD, MA, an associate professor at the Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
“Ads are all around us because they drive sales,” Dr. Applequist said. “When someone is in the market for a particular product, they’re more inclined to pay attention to an ad.”
Ads can be informational, where they attempt to help people avoid or solve problems, or transformational, where they offer something additional through sensory gratification, social approval, or the promise of a better life, Dr. Applequist said. Directto- consumer advertising (DTCA) is good at doing both—providing information about a product, but also using imagery that signifies a happier life just within reach.
Televised prescription drug ads often feature smiling patients stepping out into a brightly lit world surrounded by loved ones. This type of marketing often discusses potential harms as an afterthought in rushed voiceovers. —Vinay Rathi, MD, MBA
By pushing viewers to talk to their doctors about a certain drug, such as Dupixent, a branded drug has the already-worried, captive viewer in a false state of empowerment. “Consumers may not know that only the most expensive, newest drugs are currently advertised,” Dr. Applequist noted. “Patients may think that products will provide a quick fix for their ailments, but ads are designed to divert their attention in order to highlight a product’s benefits while still remaining legally compliant with FDA mandates, which require an equal presentation of drug benefits and risks to be present in DTCA.” What seems like a helpful act of suggesting a drug to their physician may not present an entirely accurate picture.