Prescription Drugs Ads
Prescription drugs ads can come in many different forms online, from video ads to banner ads to native ads. Not only can these ads be beneficial to consumers who are interested in different types of treatment for a particular illness, but they can be easily targeted on publishing websites that are highly relevant to potential patients.
However, some advertisers may wonder if these ads should be advertised to consumers and how to effectively and ethically use them. Let’s take a look at why prescription drugs ads are beneficial to consumers and how to properly launch an ad campaign.
Should Prescription Drugs Ads be Advertised to Consumers?
The short answer would be, “Yes!”
As long as proper protocol is taken when creating a prescription drugs ads campaign, direct-to-consumer drug ads can be very helpful for consumers.
To start, these ads can spread very valuable information about specific products and the health conditions associated with them. Nowadays, consumers are taking their healthcare more seriously and are doing their own research to take control of their health. A well-crafted prescription drugs ad campaign can provide consumers with options for treatment. Just as well, they can also motivate patients to have more frank discussions about new treatment options with their doctors.
There is very limited time allotted when it comes to physician office visits, so it is vital that patients are doing their own research and taking control of their personal health outside of the office. Then, new information can be brought to a physician and a treatment plan can be discussed without much lost time.
DTC drug advertisements can also help raise awareness for medical conditions and treatment that may not be otherwise easy to research. A good prescription drugs ad will outline the benefits of the drug and provide honest, non-manipulative information about possible side effects. This allows the patient to weigh the pros and cons before bringing the product to the attention of their physician. Such ads can also motivate patients to discuss prevention, diagnosis, and treatment information with their doctors as well.
Overall, prescription drugs ads can provide valuable information to consumers about conditions and possible treatments, which will lead them to make better informed and educated choices about their physical health.
Effectively Using Prescription Drugs Ads
To effectively use prescription drugs ads as an advertiser, there are a few best practices to adhere to.
To begin with, it’s incredibly important to do some research on the rules and regulations that the FDA has in place when it comes to direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads. The FDA oversees the advertising of prescription drugs, but do not require that companies submit ads for approval. However, a poorly-worded advertisement could come to the attention of the FDA and result in possible legal issues. This is why it is important to follow these rules when crafting a prescription drug ad:
- Ensure that the landing page attached to your banner ad notes all of the known side effects of the drug.
- Ensure that your ad is honest and not misleading when it comes to outlining the benefits and actual effects of the drug.
- Always include at least one approved use for the drug, the generic name of the drug, and all risks of using the drug.
Language and content are important when it comes to creating an ad that is honest, beneficial, and safe for public consumption. In that same vein, it’s also important to consider how your ad connects with the public. This is where contextual targeting comes into play. This form of online ad targeting involves placing banner, video, and native ads on publishing sites that are highly relevant to the ad.
For example: Let’s say you are a marketing professional that is creating an ad campaign for a pharmaceutical company that has developed a new prescription drug that can treat pain associated with neuropathy. This ad should be placed on a blog or website that posts content related to neuropathy, such as guides to the illness, possible treatment lists, and even support forums for the illness. This ensures that the consumers who actually want or need your product will find the ad for it while they are already researching the illness.
