PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Kartik Pashupati TI - Beavers, Bubbles, Bees, and Moths AID - 10.2501/S0021849909090473 DP - 2009 Sep 01 TA - Journal of Advertising Research PG - 373--393 VI - 49 IP - 3 4099 - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/49/3/373.short 4100 - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/49/3/373.full SO - J Advert Res2009 Sep 01; 49 AB - Several prescription drug brands use animated characters in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. This article draws on the literature on spokescharacters to address four research questions: What different types of animated spokescharacters are used in DTC advertising?How are prescription drug marketers using spokescharacters in DTC advertising?To what extent are these characters integrated into the websites for these brands?Is there any evidence that the use of animated spokescharacters enhances advertising effectiveness?Animated characters are used in various ways, such as the symbol of a disease, a victim, or as the mechanism of action. Brands vary greatly in their integration of spokescharacters into DTC websites. Evidence from secondary data indicates that brands using spokescharacters perform better than average in recall and in brand-association tests.