When consumers are diagnosed with a medical condition such as high cholesterol or obesity, they immediately begin a new regime of brisk walks and a diet of heart-healthy foods. Right? Not necessarily, says Wharton marketing professor Lisa E. Bolton. If those consumers are taking a prescription or over-the-counter drug for their condition, they may actually toss back more chips and donuts. Those taking a supplement, however, may be more likely to eat broccoli and hit the treadmill.
The reason, says Bolton, is that consumers see the drug as a "get-out-of-jail-free card," which eliminates or reduces the risks of such bad habits as eating high-fat foods, excessive drinking or a sedentary life-style. Supplements, such as vitamins, minerals and herbs, on the other hand, surprisingly are much less likely to have this sort of "boomerang effect," according to a recent research paper titled, Turn on Versus Tune out: Consumer Reaction to Supplement Versus Drug Marketing, co-authored by Bolton, Wharton marketing professor Americus Reed II, and Kevin G. Volpp and Katrina Armstrong, professors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
With supplements, consumers are more likely to believe that "the remedy alone is insufficient to take care of the risk unless accompanied by other health-protective behaviors," the report states. In other words, people realize that a pill, if it's labeled a supplement, isn't going to cut it by itself, and they will have to alter their lifestyles too. Drugs, however, may "boomerang," or encourage consumers to take health risks. One example is the anti-HIV drug tenofovir, which could lead people to engage in risky sexual behavior. The Food and Drug Administration has also expressed reservations recently over a fat-fighting drug that could be abused by binge eaters, body builders, anorexics and others.
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