The Kaiser Family Foundation recently asked consumers about DTC advertising and drug affordability in a recent poll. There is some good news and bad news for drug advertisers in the poll. The good news is a 51% majority of Americans say DTC advertising is a good thing. While that is not an overwhelming mandate in […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 30, 2015
DTC in Perspective: DTC Advertising turns 30
Yes, DTC is 30 years old, not 18 as some say, thinking it started in 1997 after FDA liberalized television regulations. The FDA started to allow it in 1985 after lifting the moratorium on doing prescription drug ads. DTC spending was at a trickle in the late 1980?s and started to take off with a […]
By Eric Talbot
October 28, 2015
Connecting is About More than Just Reaching Your Audience
Spend enough time with children and you will learn the difference between hearing and listening. You can tell kids to clean up until you are blue in the face without even a turn of their head, but whisper ice cream and they come running. This is the difference between reaching your audience and connecting with […]
October 28, 2015
Creative Critique: OPDIVO & BELSOMRA
Editor?s Note: DTC Perspectives asked a leading creative expert to review current DTC ads for our Creative Assessment issue of DTC in Focus. OPDIVO and BELSOMRA were her standouts. Read what Brenda Molloy has to say about why these ads made her take special notice. It?s necessary now more than ever for commercials to stand […]
October 28, 2015
Applying the Innovation Styles Model to Promote Creative Assessment in Pharma
?Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.? ? Theodore Levitt, author of Innovation in Marketing Creative assessment in pharma is the ability to generate and evaluate new, varied, and unique ideas to achieve innovative approaches. Flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, and brainstorming are only a few of the factors connected to this […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 23, 2015
DTC in Perspective: Premium Priced Drugs and DTC Dilemma
Recently Opdivo from Bristol-Myers started television advertising for its advanced stage lung cancer indication. What Opdivo does is work with the immune system to help fight the lung cancer. Clinical studies show survival versus chemo of 9.2 months vs. 6 months among half the patients taking it. The ad, which is on the Opdivo web […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 16, 2015
DTC in Perspective: A Growing Opportunity for Patient Engagement
With rising DTC expenditures it is clear all media segments have new opportunities for a piece of a larger pie. I have always been media agnostic in my job as advisor, publisher, conference organizer and writer of DTC columns. I know all media has its place in the marketing plan. Traditional media such as television, […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 9, 2015
DTC in Perspective: The Perfect Storm Faces DTC
I am concerned. DTC is under attack again by politicians and anti-drug company activists. While an outright ban is highly unlikely because of first amendment protections, it is possible to regulate DTC more and/or use tax policy to restrict its use. The FDA, under a Clinton or Sanders presidency, would likely be told to do […]
By Bob Ehrlich
October 2, 2015
DTC in Perspective: Jublia and Celebrities
Jublia, from Valeant for toenail fungus, has made heavy use of the celebrity route in its advertising. First, they used tennis legend John McEnroe and now are adding talk show host Mario Lopez to the mix. Most of us remember Mario as Slater on Saved by the Bell.The Jublia ads are light in tone and […]
By Bob Ehrlich
September 25, 2015
DTC in Perspective: Clinton Wants To End DTC!
Outdoing Bernie is hard to do but Hillary seems to be more anti-drug company than the avowed socialist candidate. Hillary is tired of high drug prices. Here is someone that charges a public university $225,000 for a canned speech and is outraged at high prices from drug companies. Never let hypocrisy affect a good political […]
