Caring or Compulsion? The Effects of Consumer Attributions of Risk Information Disclosure in Direct‐to‐Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising

Direct‐to‐consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) is mandated to provide information about drug risks in addition to promoting drug benefits. The disclosure of drug risks is intended to provide consumers with a balanced view of the advertised drugs. However, unintended consequences of the disclosure have been observed in previous DTCA research including an influence on trust toward the ad and manufacturer. To better understand this, an experiment was conducted across two health conditions (seasonal allergies and diabetes) to examine the role of the amount of side effect information and attribution of side effects disclosure in judgments of positive advertiser motives, trustworthiness, brand attitude, and behavioral intentions. Results indicated brand attitude and behavioral intentions differed by amount of side effect information mediated by advertiser trust. Attribution of side effects information to regulations provided a limited moderation of this effect. Suggested implications include more explicit identification of mandated information within the ads.