Pharma Glows With Health Despite Regulation Threats

A search through SMI39s extensive database shows for example that pharmaceutical companies as a whole were the No 2 ranked advertising category for broadcast networks and No 4 for both cable networks and digital media during calendar year 2015Ads for erectile dysfunction sleeping disorders and a host of other ailments resulted in healthy media spending last year with some of that carrying over to the first months of 2016That was certainly clear for TV where pharma companies plunk down most of their ad spend In this year39s first quarter the prescription drug brands increasedOverall TV spending by 43Broadcast networks by 77Cable networks by 26TV Syndication by 22Only two TV categories posted declines in the first quarter cable multiple system operators and local systems down 62 and spot TV down 21Another pharmaceutical category amp160over the counter OTC amp160was certainly less compelling in the first quarter when judged by percentage growth in the TV subcategories However revenue from OTC brands is much smaller than prescription pharma revenueLooking at the first quarter OTC increasedOverall TV spending by a mere 6Broadcast networks were flatCable networks by 9Spot TV by more than doubleOnly syndication was down in Q1 by 8A comparison of full calendar year 2014 with 2015 across all media categories provides a wider viewamp160 Last year prescription brands increasedOverall media spend by 30TV spend by 23Digital by 41Magazines by 36Out of home by more than doubleRadio by 11However newspapers showed declines in prescription drug advertising in 2015 off 87OTC showed more spotty results but some stellar numbers nonetheless In 2015 OTC brands increasedOverall media spend by 38TV by 23Digital by nearly doubleOut of home by more than doubleCategories that showed OTC downslides last year included magazines 8 radio 51 and newspapers 15Prescription pharma ads could fall off considerably Last September presidential contender Hillary Clinton introduced a plan to end tax breaks for drug companies39 consumer advertising Then early this year a bill was introduced in Congress calling for a threeyear moratorium on ads for newly approved drugsThat could put a serious dent in what39s started to be an excellent year for prescription drug advertisingamp160 But how real are those regulatory possibilitiesquotOnly if Hillary Clinton is elected president and Democrats gain in the Senate and House would any such bill have a chance of becoming law That39s my opinion and I39m sticking to itquot says John Mack Editor and Publisher of Pharma Marketing NewsFrom the standpoint of the media economy I certainly hope he39s rightThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers amp160amp160

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Pharma Glows With Health Despite Regulation Threats

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James Fennessy

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