Using a marketing-team approach to introduce students to pharmaceutical advertising and promotion: A focus on direct-to-consumer advertising appeals and executions

ObjectiveBy using a student marketing-team approach in a college of pharmacy professional elective, many of the course-learning objectives were achieved by the application of a marketing-team development of a hypothetical new product launch and preparation of an abbreviated marketing plan, with a partial focus upon development of an FDA compliant direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisement for a prescription drug product. A variety of advertising appeals and creative execution styles were chosen by the students to sell their products. This assessment compiles such advertising appeals and creative executions used during 10 years of these projects.MethodsThe team creates a hypothetical prescription drug product or is given a project concept drug and develops an abbreviated marketing plan for the product, consisting in part of a 60-second FDA-compliant DTC TV commercial designed to sell the product to the consumer. In this study, the author identifies the appeal and execution style used, based upon literature definitions, personal and participant evaluation postproduction, and review of past commercials by current students.Results/outcomesThis article gives descriptions of the products hypothesized by the students, identification of the advertising appeal and advertising creative execution styles used in their FDA-compliant DTC advertising TV commercials.ConclusionsStudents apply many specific course-learning objectives, gain an appreciation of marketing concepts, experiment with their creative/artistic side, and gain a better understanding of the need for FDA regulation of DTC advertising.