Consumers' evaluation of brief summary formats of print direct‐to‐consumer advertisements

Abstract

PurposeThe paper's aim is to measure the effect of various brief summary formats on consumers' drug‐related knowledge, evaluations of ad information, ad believability, attitudes towards the ad and brand, perceived product risk and intention to use ad information in making healthcare decisions.Design/methodology/approachUsing mall‐intercept surveys, 307 US women, age 18‐50 years, were randomly assigned to one of the six different versions of brief summary formats for a birth control medicine. The six brief summary formats included: no brief summary, traditional (continuous prose) brief summary, risk information window, bulleted list, nutrition facts panel, and question‐answer format. The participants completed a closed‐ended questionnaire after reviewing the print ad.FindingsMANOVA indicated presence of a multivariate main effect. However, univariate ANOVAs, performed to evaluate the effect of individual formats, revealed that the eight outcome variables did not vary significantly across the six brief summary formats. Nevertheless, respondents exhibited more positive evaluation of the newer brief summary formats compared to the traditional brief summary format, albeit there was no statistically significant difference among the newer formats.Practical implicationsConsumers clearly prefer newer brief summary formats to the traditional brief summary format.Originality/valueThis research provides additional insights about risk communication in direct‐to‐consumer ads and may assist the FDA in the development of a standardized regulatory structure for the future. Providing brief summary in a clearer, understandable, and consumer‐friendly manner can help consumers in deciding whether the drug is appropriate for their condition.