Studies show that people have a shared emotional response, when they see others who are happy or sad. Hatfield, Cacioppo and Rapson (1994) determined that people tended to mimic the facial and visual expressions and movements of others, causing them to adopt and feel the emotions that are projected towards them in a process called “emotional contagion.” Small and Verrochi (2009) conducted a study that looked at they way this theory works when consumers viewed advertisements for charities. When shown an ad with an actor who appeared sad, the viewer experienced the feeling which evoked the emotion of sympathy. Small and Verrochi explain that this effect was intentionally used in advertisements that sought to raise money for charities.(Small 2) This study reinforces the fact that advertisements create an intentional emotional response from the consumer.
‘Tremfyant’ is created by combining Tremfya and Triumphant – The advertisement looks to motivate the audience to become strong and conquer their psoriatic arthritis by using Tremfya
Using this connection, one can expect that elderly people who see the emotions of those who are represented in medical advertisements will respond with similar emotions. Using the emotional contagion theory as a reference, the portrayal of happiness in medical advertisements through the use of smiling facial expressions on actors will make the viewer mimic that feeling and evoke the emotion response of happiness. Creating a happy mood in the advertisement through the use of visuals that use bright colors, and happy families can also influence the viewer to feel a similar emotional response.
In many medical advertisements, drugs are portrayed as a solution to attain a happy life. These advertisements imply that their product will bring a wide circle of friends, loving relationships, and good health. Portraying happiness in medical advertising contributes to the growth of purchase intent, discovery and shareability.(Mick 1996) Seeing people in advertisements with the same medical condition you are struggling with who look happy can create the impression that taking the medication will result in a happy life. Pharmaceutical advertisements’ portrayals of happiness may be influencing consumers to learn more about their products, potentially getting their physicians to presribe them the advertised medication.