Advertisements are everywhere. There are advertisements on TV, in magazines and even in movie theaters today. Clothing, food products, jewelry and almost everything else is advertised. Direct to consumer marketing (DTC) makes up a huge percentage of advertisements. I am really on the fence about DTC. I think that some advertisement is good but too much of anything can be bad. People can be influenced by advertisements. Why else would companies spend millions of dollars each year to advertise their products? Whether the advertisement is good or bad really depends on what is being advertised. If someone sees a certain drug on TV and decides to ask their doctor about it, it could be a really good thing. The doctor then can evaluate whether or not this is a good choice. However, some advertisements are very misleading. Airborne, for example, is known by many and is thought to be a way to avoid getting sick and to make you healthier. This “treatment” however is nothing more than a glorified vitamin. Just last week I had a coworker taking airborne because she thought it was going to make her better. Needless to say she has been sick for three weeks now. While advertisements can make people aware of products, I think people need to take it upon themselves to do the research when it comes to DTC and what is being advertised, instead of just listening to what the advertisement is saying and automatically believing it.
For more information on DTC:
http://www.ucsfcme.com/MarketingOfMedicines/4DirectToConsumer2/player.html
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