Comparative Messaging, Learning and Forgetting: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Drug Detailing

47 Pages Posted: 11 Sep 2020

See all articles by Xiaojing Dong

Xiaojing Dong

Santa Clara University

Ying Xie

University of Texas at Dallas

Pradeep K. Chintagunta

University of Chicago

Date Written: June 8, 2020

Abstract

A firm launching a new product in an existing category can leverage comparative messages to provide information to customers and to distinguish it from others. Incumbents, on the other hand, benefit less from comparative messaging as this could be interpreted as providing legitimacy to the entrant. In our empirical context in a pharmaceutical category, we see both incumbents and entrants employing comparative messages during their detailing visits. To incorporate the effects of comparative messaging, we develop a learning model of doctor prescription behavior. The model has three distinguishing features relative to the standard Bayesian learning framework. First, the information efficiency associated with the detailing visits differ across message formats (comparative vs. non-comparative) and brands. Second, comparative messages from competing brands can “jam” or disrupt a doctor’s learning of a drug’s quality. Finally, the doctors can “forget” the quality of a drug with the time elapsed from the last prescription. We estimate the model using a physician panel in a therapeutic category with one existing and two new drugs. We estimate the proposed model in a Hierarchical Bayesian framework. Counterfactual experiment characterizes the impact of banning comparative messages, a practice followed in many countries other than the U.S.

Suggested Citation

Dong, Xiaojing and Xie, Ying and Chintagunta, Pradeep K., Comparative Messaging, Learning and Forgetting: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Drug Detailing (June 8, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3665004 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3665004

Xiaojing Dong (Contact Author)

Santa Clara University ( email )

Santa Clara, CA 95053
United States

Ying Xie

University of Texas at Dallas ( email )

2601 North Floyd Road
Richardson, TX 75083
United States

Pradeep K. Chintagunta

University of Chicago ( email )

5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States
773-702-8015 (Phone)
773-702-0458 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
60
Abstract Views
625
Rank
605,676
PlumX Metrics