The Use of Persuasion in Print DTC Advertisements of Prescription Drugs: A Content Analysis of Leading Consumer Magazines from 1995–2000

ABSTRACTThe proportion of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements (DTCA) to all consumer product advertisements was analyzed from a stratified randomized sample of all male-oriented, female-oriented, and gender nonspecific consumer magazines spanning issues from 1995 through 2000. The prevalence of persuasive techniques and unreferenced claims was evaluated using multiple judges in a content analysis procedure. Overall, DTC ads accounted for 3.09% of all advertisements. Female-oriented magazines accounted for the highest proportion of DTC ads. Nearly every ad (99.5%) used one or more types of persuasion, and the average ad employed the use of 3.26 persuasive techniques. Unreferenced claims were identified in 49.3% of all DTC ads. The strategic mix of persuasive techniques remained constant throughout the period under study. The ramifications of the use of persuasion in DTC ads for prescription drugs are discussed.