Representações Sociais mobilizadas pela propaganda televisiva de medicanetos: intersecções entre ciência, saúde e praticas de consumo

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the social representations contents of medicines for direct to-consumers sale from the television advertising. From the discussion on new facets of the contemporary medicalization, we proposed the concept of medicine as a consumer product that would allow welfare and health, the promise of the pharmaceutical industry based on circulating notions of science and technology. Therefore, we start with the assumption that people would mobilize ideas tied to these values to talk about how they think and use the medicine. To verify this mobilization of ideas, was adopted the procedural approach to the study of social representations, inspired by Denise Jodelet. In a first stage of the study, we selected ten television advertising of prescription medicines directly to consumers and a pharmaceutical industry´s marketing video that were aired in prime time on Brazilian TV in 2008. Then, an analysis of thematic content of these advertisements was made from the transcript of compiling thematic categories by software OpenLogos. It was found that, by the issues raised, these ads brought images and messages indicative of a relationship between medicine and welfare in the idea of health as a commodity. Subsequently, five of these advertisements were displayed in three groups consisting of students in the area of management of a private university in Rio de Janeiro. Then, they raised to a focus group discussion on drugs, in general, and ideas about health and well-being that were being conveyed in the advertisements. Performing in the subjects´ speech an analysis similar to that made in advertisements, was obtained as a result social representations contents of medicine, which included subjects already found in the ads as well as thematic exclusively mobilized during the group discussions. In general, the medicine presented in view of the subject is linked to ideas of health, science and technology, but also is perceived linked to a strong brand of values common to contemporary society such as consumer experience, speed, efficiency, energy, well-being associated with productivity, aesthetics, maintenance of the performing body, removal of disease. Self-medication, poor accessibility to the Unified Health System and the reference in the health professional, especially physicians, were also topics discussed between the groups. It is suggested that such contents of social representation of medicines called up from the TV marketing of medicinal permit us to reflect on new facets of the medicalization process in a world, where well-being, success, performance, absence of illness, productivity and recognition in social life possibly stand as benchmarks of a healthy life linked to the consumption of technology and science in the form of the medicines