NAPSR Announces : Warning of potential side effects of a product can increase its sales

WASHINGTON - Sept. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- Drug ads often warn of serious side effects, from nausea and bleeding to blindness, even death. New research suggests that, rather than scaring consumers away, these warnings can improve consumers' opinions and increase product sales when there is a delay between seeing the ad and deciding to buy or consume the product.

"Messages that warn consumers about potentially harmful side effects - presumably with the intent to nudge them to act more cautiously - can ironically backfire," says psychological scientist Ziv Carmon of INSEAD in Singapore.

Working with Yael Steinhart of Tel Aviv University and Yaacov Trope at New York University, Carmon has been exploring how adding a warning of potential side effects affects consumer decision making. Their new findings are published in the September 2013 issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

"We were struck by just how detailed, clear, and scary many warnings had become with regard to potential negative side-effects of products," says Carmon. "It then occurred to us that such warnings might perversely boost rather than detract from the appeal of the risky product."

Carmon and colleagues tested their hypothesis in four experiments. In one experiment, for example, smokers saw an ad for a brand of cigarettes: one version of the ad included a warning that smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema, while another version did not include the warning.

Predictably, participants who had the opportunity to purchase the cigarettes soon after seeing the ad bought less if the ad they saw included the warning.

In contrast, participants who were given the opportunity to purchase the cigarettes a few days later bought more if the ad included the warning. The same outcome emerged when the researchers ran a similar experiment with ads for artificial sweeteners.

CANDIDATES WHO WANT TO BREAK INTO PHARMACEUTICAL SALES!- Upon successful completion of the training each student will receive the Certification Mark of the CNPR®. The CNPR® represents a level of industry achievement and a demonstrated knowledge of pharmacology, medical terminology, pharmaceutical selling guidelines, physician selling techniques and industry standards. Pharmaceutical sales candidates who have this training will differentiate themselves from other individuals looking for open positions. CNPR® graduates should immediately utilize the NAPSRx® Career Center to apply for pharmaceutical sales positions.

The CNPR is a federally trademarked certification you can earn by demonstrating the necessary knowledge in pharmacology, medical terminology, physiology, and regulations for selling pharmaceuticals. The CNPR examination is dedicated to increasing the professional level of NAPSR members and to developing meaningful and ethical standards fully accepted by both its members and members of the pharmaceutical community.

Individuals that are interested in becoming a Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative(CNPR) can contact the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives(NAPSRx) for more information.

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