From ?4/22-24 we held our 14th DTC National in Washington. My general observations are as follows. DTC is still young as an industry. While DTC is about 20 years old, starting with some heavy print in 1993 and exploding in 1997 with branded television, it is still a maturing field. This is particularly true in […]
Author Archive | Bob Ehrlich
By Bob Ehrlich
April 15, 2014
Can I Get A Price Please?
We have a crisis in healthcare that has not been solved but will likely be in the next five years. That is price transparency for medical services. American consumers are being asked to pay high deductibles and co-pays for medical procedures and services. That means most of us are basically self-insured for the first several […]
By Bob Ehrlich
April 8, 2014
Obesity Category May Heat Up
I saw some buzz from a financial site that Belviq, the newest Obesity drug, may start DTC television very soon. A Bank of America analyst was critical of Vivus for not doing DTC on Qsymia. The first drug to be approved for obesity in years took a very conservative approach to their launch and has […]
By Bob Ehrlich
March 17, 2014
DTC in Perspective: An Rx to OTC Mega Brand
The widespread stories about Pfizer trying to take Lipitor OTC bring up some important issues for drug companies trying to extend their statin brands to retail shelves. First, there is the concern about taking the doctor out of the direct decision chain to prescribe a drug for cholesterol reduction. Second, will consumers be able to […]
By Bob Ehrlich
March 10, 2014
DTC in Perspective: Creative in DTC is Strong
I have spent many hours the past few weeks reviewing DTC advertising. We are in the final stages of judging award winners in many media categories to be presented at the?DTC National?in April. I have been impressed overall with the quality of the ads. While DTC ads are the butt of many jokes, parodies and […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 26, 2014
FDA to Study Reducing Risk Disclosure on TV
Less is more goes the common saying. FDA, announced 2/18 in the Federal Register, that they are going to study having less risks read in TV ads. Their hypothesis is the litany of risks and warnings make it harder for the consumer to remember the most important ones. I have advocated, as have many advertising […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 17, 2014
Selling Sex in DTC
I must start off by saying that I qualify for free Viagra, still being on the retiree Pfizer medical plan. Actually I am a “firee” not a retiree, but I qualify anyway for continued coverage, having worked enough years at Warner-Lambert to continue on the Pfizer plan after they took us over. That bias towards […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 10, 2014
DTC in Perspective: FDA Does its Own DTC
The FDA is getting into the DTC business with an effort to stop teens from smoking. The campaign, starting February 11, is an attempt to stop teens from smoking by discussing the harm it does to things teens care about. While teens probably do not think about lung cancer or heart attacks they do care […]
By Bob Ehrlich
February 4, 2014
Remembering Lipitor – BBC Story To Profile Its Success
The United Kingdom?s BBC is airing a documentary later this year on consumer cultural changes using several iconic brands as representing those shifts. One of those brands they chose to profile is Lipitor. I was asked to appear on that program to discuss the consumer launch of Lipitor. I was proud to do it, not […]
By Bob Ehrlich
January 27, 2014
The Warfarin Replacement Ad Fight
One of the hottest DTC categories is atrial fibrillation. Pradaxa, Xarelto, and Eliquis are fighting for share in this new category. These drugs are fighting to replace warfarin, a drug that thins blood but requires frequent monitoring to make sure the levels are correct. For elderly people, going to the doctor frequently to get a […]
