'Fault' genes and false needs: An exploratory study on the marketing of personalized medicine and genetic data

Since the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure in 1953, the field of genetics has probably progressed more than any other scientific field, nevertheless its interrelationships with the field of marketing and consumer... [ view full abstract ]

Since the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure in 1953, the field of genetics has probably progressed more than any other scientific field, nevertheless its interrelationships with the field of marketing and consumer behaviour have remained under-examined. Taking into account the popularity of personalized medicine the last twenty years, this paper seeks to critically examine the employment of marketing practices and discourse as regarding the commercialization of genetic data and testing. Thereupon, this study elaborates of pricing, advertising and segmentation marketing practices used by direct-to-consumer genome testing companies so as to draw wider conclusions about the impact of these industrial practices on consumer’s choices, perceptions and well-being. The paper concludes that the development of bio-banks, healthcare marketing and pharmacogenomics begin to exert huge influence upon consumer lifestyles and consumption habits not only related to eating, drinking and smoking but also as regards individual’s choice for insurances, employment criteria and changing cultural belief’s regarding their sense of self and identity.