The Role of Human Voice in Direct-To-Consumer Health Communication

ABSTRACT

Despite overall positive perceptions, many customers distrust direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies in regard to privacy and aftercare. Prior research suggests companies can assuage mistrust by personalizing communication when discussing sensitive health information. This content analysis of customer e-mails (N = 338) investigates the purpose, personalization, and use of the human voice strategy by direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to gain trust. Results reveal that companies rarely use human voice when communicating with customers, most of the information provided is promotional, and they invite dialogue less over time. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.

Disclosure statement

The coauthors of this manuscript shall bear full responsibility for the submission. We confirm that all authors listed on the title page have contributed significantly to the work, have read the manuscript, attest to the validity and legitimacy of the data and its interpretation, and agree to its submission.

The article is original, has not been published previously either in print or electronic form, and is not being simultaneously submitted elsewhere. Data was collected in compliance with the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association.

Data availability

The data underlying this article are available upon request to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by National Science Foundation Grant #2219533.