Effects of Video Manipulation on Believability and Consumer Attitudes in Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: An Abstract

Abstract

The amount spent by pharmaceutical companies on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising was over $6.4 billion in 2016, up from $6.1 billion in 2015 (Statista 2018). Some advertisers have used different treatments of audio and visual messaging to maximize the positive messages about the use of their products while staying within the FDA guidelines for fair balance. This study seeks to explore the relationship between the presentation of different video effects in the presence of audio information about risks and possible side effects of prescription drugs and believability of the ad claims and attitudes toward the advertisement and manufacturer of the product.

A cursory examination of typical DTC drug advertising suggests that most ads follow a “formula” in presenting the required benefit and risk information for a drug while presenting the product in the most positive light, seeking to produce believability of the advertisement, along with positive attitudes toward the company, which may lead to purchase intention toward the drug. As part of this formula, risks and benefits are usually presented through an audio voiceover while a video message is being played. Generally, the benefits are presented early in the advertisement, and the risks are presented later. According to Day (2005), the nature of the visuals being presented limited an individual’s cognitive accessibility, leading to a lowered ability to comprehend the presented audio message. If manipulation of the video in an advertisement affects the audio message in this way, what other effects might different video presentations have on consumer beliefs and attitudes?

Participants in a consumer panel screened one of four conditions in a series of 30-s, professionally produced television advertisements for an imaginary cholesterol-lowering medication. After viewing the advertisement, participants answered a series of survey questions to measure accepted advertising-related outcomes from exposure. Questions were from established scales to measure believability of the ad, attitude toward the ad, perceived social responsibility of the advertiser, and then perceptions of risk of using the product, including performance risk and health risk.