An Exploratory Content Analysis of Pharmaceutical Ads in Journals Targeted to Pediatricians

Abstract

A content analysis of pharmaceutical product ads targeted toward pediatricians was conducted to determine the extent to which they were informative and the types of information presented. The results indicated that pharmaceutical product ads contain an abundance of information that may help in educating and informing the physician. The vast majority of ads illustrated product benefits (94 percent) and characteristics (98 percent). Some ads (71 percent) identified the disease or condition for which the product is used. However, ads tended to leverage emotion (52 percent) more so than scientific information (35 percent) in support of the product. New product ads were statistically more informative relative to maintenance products. Similarly, prescription drug ads were more likely to identify the disease but were concomitantly less likely to rely on product or patient visual cues. Most surprisingly, despite FDA “fair balance” guidelines, the majority of ads (53 percent) were perceived to present benefits in unequal proportion to risks. The implication of these findings is discussed in the context that this research provides a platform for the analysis of the changing paradigms in healthcare advertising practices. As such, this report provides important advertising guidance to those involved in the management of pharmaceutical product promotion to physicians.