Literally experts: expertise and the processing of analogical metaphors in pharmaceutical advertising

The role of imagination in consumers' processing of visual metaphors in prescription drug advertising

This research examines the influence of visual metaphors in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs. Results indicate that consumers' propensity to imagine enhances their objective comprehension of direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertisements that contain fused visual metaphors (vs. juxtaposed visual metaphors). Additionally, when DTC pharmaceutical advertisements feature visual metaphors with low comparability, consumers primed with imagination-focused visualization rather than memory-focused visualization inducements experience greater information-seeking intentions regarding drug health risks for ads using fused rather than juxtaposed visual metaphors. These results suggest notable DTCA insights for advertising and policymaking.