Politics, Propaganda, and Public Health: A Case Study in Health Communication and Public Trust

by Laura Crosswell, Lance Porter

Overview

Politics, Propaganda, and Public Health: A Case Study in Health Communication and Public Trust takes an in-depth look at Merck Pharmaceutical's groundbreaking launch of the Gardasil vaccination and ways in which new trends in pharmaceutical marketing affect public health awareness efforts. Prior to receiving FDA approval for Gardasil, Merck built up concern around the human papillomavirus through early awareness messaging. Though Merck's approach may have promoted inoculation efforts, the company seemingly crafted a product endorsement for Gardasil through its social marketing strategy and nationwide lobbying. The question is, do the ends justify the means? Crosswell and Porter use a unique combination of eye tracking data, in-depth interviews, and rhetorical analysis as they examine what happens to public trust when Big Pharma combines product marketing with awareness messaging. This book offers a platform for cross-disciplinary debate on the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising and proposes future courses of action for Big Pharma regulators and media scholars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498553001
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	04/30/2018
Series:	Lexington Studies in Health Communication
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	186
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Laura Crosswell is assistant professor of health communication at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Lance Porter is the F. Walter Lockett Distinguished Professor of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface

CHAPTER ONE: The Doctor, the Baker, and the Medicine Maker
CHAPTER TWO: An American System of Pharmaceutical Influence
CHAPTER THREE: Deconstructing Merck’s Awareness Campaign
CHAPTER FOUR: Social Trust and Public Health
CHAPTER FIVE: Consumer Perspectives
CHAPTER SIX: Pharmaceutical Conglomerates and American Politics
CHAPTER SEVEN: Global Implications of American Medicalization
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Genderization of a Vaccination

Conclusion

References
Appendix A: Commercial Transcripts for Pre-FDA Messages
Appendix B: Moderator Guide for U.S. Focus Groups
Appendix C: Additional Material/Questions for International Focus Groups
Appendix D: Moderator Guide Foe Co-Ed Marketing Focus Groups
Appendix E Demographic Survey for All Focus Groups
Appendix F: Eye Tracking Materials
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

This book will challenge the approach and deepen the understanding of health communication under the holistic model where politics, propaganda, and public health are connected. The chapters provide an in-depth analysis of the complexities that exist in commercial enterprise and the balance between products, profits, politics, and social benefits. The book represents an enormous step forward in commercializing social awareness and social marketing fully into the field of health communication implementation. Its insights into practice of social cognition theory in Merck's campaign are invaluable for any serious reader of behavioral economics in this contemporary society. The centrality of addressing the public trust and influence of corporate interests in campaign messages makes this publication an essential contribution to the capacity building of public health and health communication as well.

Muhiuddin Haider