Presumed influence of endorser and fear appeal in DTC prescription drug advertising: Are they overpowering consumers\u27 judgments?

As consumers are increasingly exposed to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, critics are concerned about frequent uses of emotional appeals and influential endorsers that may mislead consumers\u27 judgments in favor of the advertised drug. To investigate this issue, we developed a set of hypotheses based on the marketing and consumer behavior literature and tested independent and interactive effects of fear appeal and endorser types (physician, peer, and no endorser) on consumers\u27 cognitive and attitudinal responses to direct-to-consumer ads. Results from an experiment suggest that the endorser and fear appeal can influence consumers\u27 evaluation of the ad message, but do not necessarily overpower their judgments regarding the drug. Findings on the interactive effects suggest that direct-to-consumer advertisers must give a careful consideration to the right match of an endorser type and an emotional appeal to avoid any negative unintended effects. Implications for future research and practices for direct-to-consumer advertising are discussed. © The Author(s) 2012