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The effects of DTCA on patient compliance: Exploring the impact of endorser selection and message tonality on patients with diabetes

Kai N. Bergner (GfKSE, Health, Nuremberg, Germany)
Tomas Falk (Department of Marketing, EBS Business School, Oestrich-Winkel, Germany)
Daniel Heinrich (Chair of Services Management, TU Braunschweig, Germany,)
Jörg A. Hölzing (Diabetes Care, Roche Sistemas de Diagnósticos, Amadora, Portugal)

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing

ISSN: 1750-6123

Publication date: 25 November 2013

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) in terms of endorser selection and message tonality affect patients' self-efficacy, response efficacy, and compliance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a 3 (Endorser: physician, patient, or celebrity)×2 (Tonality: supportive vs threatening) experimental design. Subjects were 1,211 people with diabetes from Germany.

Findings

First, the study shows that the interaction between message sender and tonality significantly affects all dependent variables such as self-efficacy, response efficacy, and patient compliance. Second, physicians as endorsers work best when they use unfavorable, threatening arguments. The results are significant for all dependent variables such as self-efficacy, response efficacy, and patient compliance. Most surprisingly, patients judge attitude significantly higher if physicians use threatening instead of supportive argumentation. Third, tonality does not play a dominant role for patients as person-based testimonials. Fourth, a celebrity performs best by using a supportive message. With regard to stimulating health outcome (self-efficacy, response efficacy, and patient compliance) the celebrity has a significant impact in the supportive rather than in the threatening condition.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study that examines the effects of DTCA in terms of endorser selection and message tonality on patients' self-efficacy, response efficacy, and compliance.

Keywords

  • Direct-to-consumer advertising
  • Message framing
  • Endorser
  • Healthcare marketing
  • Patient compliance

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Roche Diagnostics Germany for their support with regard to data collection. They also thank survey respondents as well as the anonymous IJPHM review team for their valuable suggestions.This article is based on the doctoral dissertation of the first author.

Citation

N. Bergner, K., Falk, T., Heinrich, D. and A. Hölzing, J. (2013), "The effects of DTCA on patient compliance: Exploring the impact of endorser selection and message tonality on patients with diabetes", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 391-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-05-2013-0031

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Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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