Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments for anxiety disorders

Abstract Low participation in evidence-based parenting programs not only presents a major challenge for population trials where a minimum level of intervention exposure is necessary to detect population-level impact, but also undermines the incorporation of these programs into routine practice settings. As part of a large population trial, we aimed to increase participation in a series of parenting seminars by using a simple direct-to-consumer marketing strategy, i.e., redesigning the program flyer. We captured parents' attention by affirming that “parenting is not always easy”, highlighted the potential benefits of participation, clarified what participation entailed, and addressed some of the common barriers such as the stigma associated with participation in parenting programs. Because fathers and mothers were shown to have different needs, we tailored the flyers to mothers and fathers separately. Testing the flyers on a small sample of parents showed that both mothers and fathers perceived the flyers as relevant. As expected, mothers were more likely to express interest in the program when they saw the flyer which focused on benefits related to dealing with child behavioural problems and featured a mother-child dyad, while fathers preferred the flyer which highlighted the benefits related to dealing with emotional problems, and featured a father-child dyad. Next, following the same procedure that was used to deliver the original flyers over the first 18 months of the project, we used the new flyers to inform parents about the upcoming seminars over the next 24 months. The preliminary results showed that although the average number of parents participating in each seminar had initially decreased from about seven to four, after the introduction of the new flyers, the number increased consistently and reached an average of nine parents during the last 6-month period. The results shows that program uptake can be increased using simple direct-to-consumer marketing strategies.

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The Shape of Demand: What Does It Tell Us about Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Antidepressants?

The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.2202/1935-1682.1805 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Chad D. Meyerhoefer ◽

Samuel H Zuvekas

Keyword(s):

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey ◽

Demand Curve ◽

Medical Expenditure ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Medication Costs ◽

True Match ◽

Promotional Campaign ◽

Using Data ◽

Direct To Consumer Advertising ◽

Consumer Marketing

Abstract Much of the debate surrounding Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceuticals centers on whether DTCA conveys useful information to consumers or indiscriminately increases requests for the advertised medication. By identifying how DTCA changes the shape of the demand curve for antidepressants, we seek to infer the promotional objectives of manufacturers. Using data from the 1996-2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), we find that advertising shifts the demand curve for antidepressants outward and rotates it counter-clockwise. DTCA increases the probability that an individual will initiate use of antidepressants, particularly when out-of-pocket medication costs are low, but does not necessarily increase utilization levels among those already taking antidepressants. This is consistent with a promotional campaign that seeks to alert consumers to the product's existence, but conveys no real information that would allow them to learn their true match with the product.

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Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in low- and middle- income countries: a meta-analysis

African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4314/ajpsy.v14i3.2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

E Van‘t Hof ◽

P Cuijpers ◽

W Waheed ◽

DJ Stein

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Middle Income ◽

Psychological Treatments ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Biological vs. Psychological Treatments of Anxiety Disorders

Perspectives and Promises of Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1007/978-1-4899-3674-5_18 ◽

1991 ◽

pp. 205-225

Author(s):

Walton T. Roth

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Psychological Treatments

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From symptomatic to pre-symptomatic patient: the tide of personal genomics

Journal of Science Communication ◽

10.22323/2.10030303 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (03) ◽

pp. C03

Author(s):

Marina Levina ◽

Roswell Quinn

Keyword(s):

Human Subjects ◽

Genomic Data ◽

Symptomatic Patient ◽

Privacy Rights ◽

Personal Genomics ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Marketing Social ◽

Genomics Research ◽

Definition Of ◽

Consumer Marketing

Personal Genomics Companies are an emerging form of biotechnology startup that bring rapidly advancing whole genome technologies to a variety of commercial venues. With a combination of direct-to-consumer marketing, social media, and Web 2.0 applications these companies seek to create novel uses, including entertainment, for what is described as predictive medicine – that is the use of genetic marketers to create health forecasts that would allow individual’s healthcare to be tailored to their individual genomic data. In this brief piece, the authors use a critical cultural approach to question how this combination of genomics research, marketing, and communications technologies may alter both patient experiences and research processes. In it we argue these companies radically expand the definition of a patient by claiming all consumers are simply pre-symptomatic patients. Moreover, by placing genomic data on both the marketplace and cyberspace, personal genomic companies seek to create new avenues of research that alter how we define (and access) research agendas and human subjects. Therefore, beyond commonly discussed issues of ethics and privacy rights, Personal Genomics has the potential to alter both healthcare priorities and distribution.

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