Content Analysis of Television Advertising for Drugs That Switch From Prescription to Over-the-Counter: Balancing Information and Appeals

This study explored the content of advertising for drugs that switched from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC). Unique advertisements from the Vanderbilt TV News Archive were selected for drugs that switched from prescription to OTC from 1996 through 2009 (98 ads for 3 products). Each advertisement was analyzed for the presence of 11 types of drug information and for repetition of 23 types of drug-specific advertising appeals. Prescription and OTC ads had 1 or 2 types of information, and all ads contained the name of the condition the drug is intended to treat. Each ad contained, on average, 7.75 drug appeals, and OTC ads had more appeals (9.1) than prescription ads (6.0). The most often used appeals were symptom control, convenience, and long-lasting. Almost one-third of OTC advertisements (31%) advertised the product had recently switched to OTC. The authors concluded that prescription ads did not contain more drug information than OTC ads, and OTC ads contained more appeals to consumers as to the benefits of the product.