Direct To Consumer Advertising Analysis

1373 Words3 Pages

In 2015, reality television star Kim Kardashian came under media scrutiny for promoting a medication that she claimed, “made her morning sickness disappear” (qtd by Rice, 2015, pg 34). In endorsing the medication, she neglected to follow the Food and Drug Administration guidelines which require all advertisements to mention side effects and safety concerns that come with taking the medication. Celebrity endorsement is a common form of Direct to Consumer Advertising, others include medicinal advertisements on television and the internet. These advertisements often fall under scrutiny for their inability to legitimize the medication, as well as their negative impact on the medical community. Direct to consumer advertising is not only a danger …show more content…

Mackey (2013) found that in 2013, over 2.3 billion people had access to the internet, approximately 39% of the world’s population. As this access has only continued to improve, using the internet to obtain medication has only become more common. In 2013, 72% of Americans used the internet to find medical information, either for diagnostic reasons or in search of prescriptions. This statistic is not limited to the United States alone, 12 other countries have shown similar levels of internet use for medical purposes (Mackey, 2013). The danger of self-diagnosis, along with self-treatment, is the individual’s lack of knowledge of both recognized medical disorders and treatment options. As these individuals begin to use the internet to fulfill their presumed needs, the risk of misdiagnosis and addiction increase (Mackey, 2013). Not only to do the risks increase but due to a lack of online governance, the legitimacy of medication is often questionable. Some individuals or companies, will sell expired or illegal medications online in an attempt to make quick, easy money (Mackey, 2013). Lewin (2013) found that direct to consumer advertising also has a direct link to patient satisfaction. His study conducted in 2013 found that when patients enter a physician's office after seeing a direct to consumer advertisement their satisfaction rates directly correspond to receiving the drug advertised to them. Rather …show more content…

These large corporations often attempt to either find a way around Food and Drug Administration guidelines or ignore them completely. La Barbera (2012) cites the example of the vasodilator Levitra. The commercial began with an older couple “who appear romantically involved” and are “engaging in flirtatious behavior” (La Barbera, 2012, pg 103). While the advertisement never explicitly stated the nature of the drug, imagery and music made the purpose clear. Like the neglect of Kim Kardashian in 2015, the creators of the Levitra commercial failed to mention the side effects of erectile dysfunction mediation including hypertension and heart attacks, thus, breaking clear Food and Drug Administration guidelines which lead to television stations removing it from the air (La Barbera,

Open Document