TY - JOUR
T1 - Consumer retention of risk information from direct-to-consumer advertising
AU - Sullivan, Donald L.
AU - Schommer, Jon C.
AU - Birdwell, Stephen W.
PY - 1999/1/1
Y1 - 1999/1/1
N2 - The objective of this study was to determine if consumers retain risk information from direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The study design utilized a postgroup only control group design. Study participants Were randomly selected from a statewide database of men between the ages of 60- 75. These sampling criteria were selected because the ads used in the study were related to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). The 1093 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: disease-specific institutional ad group, product-specific ad group, or the control group. Participants in the two treatment groups were sent ads at one-week intervals for three weeks. A self-administered mailed questionnaire was used for data collection and mailed one week after the last ad was sent. The results show there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups regarding the correct answering of any of the risk information questions. A post hoc analysis of the data by whether the respondents indicated they had seen an ad for the product or had used the product in the past, however, yielded different results. Respondents who reported they had seen an ad for the product could have seen the ad from some other media source other than the intervention used in this study. These results show that having seen an ad for the product in the past does increase risk information retention. Past experience in taking the product, however, provides an even greater degree of retention of risk information, but may also provide a false sense of knowledge regarding some types of risk information.
AB - The objective of this study was to determine if consumers retain risk information from direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). The study design utilized a postgroup only control group design. Study participants Were randomly selected from a statewide database of men between the ages of 60- 75. These sampling criteria were selected because the ads used in the study were related to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). The 1093 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: disease-specific institutional ad group, product-specific ad group, or the control group. Participants in the two treatment groups were sent ads at one-week intervals for three weeks. A self-administered mailed questionnaire was used for data collection and mailed one week after the last ad was sent. The results show there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups regarding the correct answering of any of the risk information questions. A post hoc analysis of the data by whether the respondents indicated they had seen an ad for the product or had used the product in the past, however, yielded different results. Respondents who reported they had seen an ad for the product could have seen the ad from some other media source other than the intervention used in this study. These results show that having seen an ad for the product in the past does increase risk information retention. Past experience in taking the product, however, provides an even greater degree of retention of risk information, but may also provide a false sense of knowledge regarding some types of risk information.
KW - DTCA
KW - Direct-to-consumer advertising
KW - Risk information
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033004553&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033004553&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/009286159903300132
DO - 10.1177/009286159903300132
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0033004553
VL - 33
SP - 281
EP - 289
JO - Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science
JF - Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science
SN - 2168-4790
IS - 1
ER -