Mature Americans follow drug ads

A new survey by Rx Remedy Information Services, a Mercerville-NJ provider of syndicated information on consumer-reported healthcare, reveals that the majority of the mature audience (50 years and older) for healthcare ads are sophisticated consumers of healthcare information.

The ongoing panel of mature adults reveals new information on the effectiveness of healthcare advertising. More than half the panelists pay close attention to pharmaceutical advertising for prescription drugs, and 49% think such ads provide helpful information. By comparison, only 23% of baby boomers and their elders rely on family and friends for information on new healthcare products and services.

"Analyzing responses from the same group of people over time provides insights into the challenges of communicating a pharmaceutical value proposition to this willing yet unconvinced market," said Robert J. Enck, division president of Rx Remedy Information Services. "For example, we found that nearly half our panelists find the information in drug ads to be complex and confusing. The implication may be that pharmaceutical companies need to deepen their understanding of consumers' information needs and their actual behavior in order to redefine messages that resonate with the [mature] healthcare consumer." PR