Marketing

According to the group, in the five months ending August 31, 2005, 31 new prescription drug TV advertisements across 21 brands aired during primetime television across all broadcast and major cable te

According to the group, in the five months ending August 31, 2005, 31 new prescription drug TV advertisements across 21 brands aired during primetime television across all broadcast and major cable television networks.

The newest ad for Zelnorm, a prescription drug for irritable bowel syndrome developed and marketed by Novartis, promoting the medication's expanded indication for male use was the one most often recalled by adults 18 and older. A 30-second film noir ad for Flonase (GlaxoSmithKline), communicating its use for the treatment of nasal allergies, ranked second.

Advertising for Lunesta(Sepracor) also scored well with two executions that performed 40% above the average. And a 60-second spot for Cialis (Eli Lilly) rounded out the top five.

In addition to tracking 24-hour recall, IAG's latest findings examine the top new pharmaceutical ads that were the most successful at motivating viewers, who recall them, to speak with their doctors about the promoted brand.

Sanofi-Aventis's latest 60-second ad featuring Bob, who is a formidable man prompted the highest level of stated intent to take action among adults 18 and over. And AstraZeneca's latest 45-second spot for acid indigestion/reflux treatment Nexium took the second slot.

As the adoption process of voluntary guidelines for DTC communications released by PhRMA continues, we'sll likely see pharmaceutical advertisers implement revised strategies for their TV advertising executions, says Fariba Zamaniyan, vice president of IAG's pharmaceutical practice.

According to IAG pharmaceutical makers are turning more to disease awareness and education in an effort to comply with and respond to the feedback received from both public and private advocacy groups. Advertisers, they say, have begun implementing communication strategies that work to reduce the potential for confusion resulting from DTC ads such as the voluntary discontinuation of the 15-second reminder ad.

The new TV ads launched by pharmaceutical drug advertisers from this point forward will play a pivotal role in shaping the future for DTC and its significance in educating the US population via this broad-reach communication tool, Zamaniyan says.