Prescription drug advertisements and older adults: a case for implicit memory

Purpose – Prescription drug advertisements are commonly seen in magazines and on television. Many drug ads are targeted toward older adults, who tend to use more medications and suffer from more chronic conditions. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of such advertising remains uncertain. The aim of this paper is to compare implicit and explicit memory for drug ads in older and younger adults. Design/methodology/approach – Older adults typically perform more poorly than young adults on explicit memory tasks, but not on implicit memory tasks. The current study measured implicit memory with an incidental ratings exercise and an indirect test of preference; explicit memory was also measured with intentional studying and a direct test of recognition. The study was a 2 x 2 mixed experimental design with one between-participants variable and one within-participants variable. The between-participants variable was age group (older vs younger adults) and the within-participants variable was implicit and explicit memory. The memory test measures were the outcome variables of the study. Findings – The results showed no age difference for implicit memory for drug ads, but an age difference was found for explicit memory for the ads. The implicit memory manipulation succeeded in demonstrating that drug ads are persuasive, suggesting that a complete assessment of advertising effectiveness should include a test of implicit memory. Research limitations/implications – The fact that age differences were not found for implicit memory, but were found for explicit memory, is not surprising. Practical implications – The study is of theoretical significance because it contributes to cognitive aging research and examines memory within an everyday context. The study is of practical significance because pharmaceutical companies spend vast amounts of money on prescription drug advertisements that may or may not be effective with older adults. The component of this study that may be most important is that the results expanded everyday memory research to another applied context using an implicit memory measure, and the indirect test of memory demonstrated that the prescription drug advertising was effective. Originality/value – Although the findings were consistent with previous research, the study focuses on the real-world context of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs. Given that older adults have poorer explicit memory than younger adults, but not poorer implicit memory, it is particularly important for advertisers to use implicit memory measures when assessing advertisements aimed at older adult consumers. Marketers of pharmaceutical drug companies must remain aware that the memory abilities of their potential customers are extremely variable, and in some cases, limited.