11 Yu & Lu

Advertising is an area that is covered by many researches, however, over-the-counter reactions to this important marketing tool has not yet been touched. This article present an exploratory study on this market segment as it respond to the marketing mix involved in the launching of an over-the-counter brand originally successful in the ethical market. The author found that advertising passes two routes, one affecting purchase directly and the other first interacting with the customers’ product category structure before influencing purchase. “Novice” customers require more advertising to be able to relate the new product to their existing product category.