Implicit persuasion in pharmaceutical marketing: ethical implications for regulators and consumers

Research increasingly suggests that advertising alters consumer attitudes outside of awareness. Although widely tolerated in relation to a range of consumables these techniques are ethically contentious in pharmaceutical marketing because of the risks associated with drug use. In a new approach, known as experimental philosophy, our research combines a conceptual analysis of the ethics of subconscious persuasion with a groundbreaking empirical study that quantifies this effect in pharmaceutical advertising. The study will advance the quality use of medicines, especially in the elderly, who are the greatest consumers of pharmaceuticals nationwide and those most at risk from their improper use.