Pharmaceutical brand marriages : an exploration of relationships of older consumers with their pharmaceutical brands

Abstract

This article explores seniors’ (those aged 55 plus) pharmaceutical brand marriages. This age group will soon make up a quarter of Canada’s population. They are wealthy and active consumers who create and maintain brand relationships, however, research into seniors’ pharmaceutical brand relationships is lacking. Eight in-depth interviews with seniors provide the data from which to explore these relationships. The predominantly Western description of marriage used in relationship theory is incapable of capturing the full dynamic of pharmaceutical brand relationships. In this study I use the Eastern description of arranged marriages as a metaphor from which to understand these marriages. My findings reveal the dynamic nature of these marriages and the meaning seniors ascribe to them.