Consumer attitudes about advertisements for medicinal drugs.

Approximately 1500 subjects were exposed to magazine or television advertisements for fictitious prescription drug products. The ads varied the way risk information was incorporated into the ad. Ads presented in the magazine, ads that contained detailed and specific descriptions of the drug's risks, and ads that used communications devices to emphasize risks (graphic subtitles or a separate announcer to read the risk material) were negatively evaluated. Television ads were more likely to lead subjects to state that they would consult a doctor about the medicine but not to be upset if the doctor refused to prescribe it. Evidently, television produced more positive but more tentative impressions about the product compared to the magazine. General risks informing people about the importance of the doctor in making prescribing decisions appeared to be reassuring. Older subjects had more positive views of the drug and the ad, were more receptive to the doctor's advice and were more concerned about the disease. The elderly may have viewed drugs as a symbol of health, whereas, younger subjects may have viewed them as a symbol of illness.