April 15, 2024

It can be said that I have a few pet peeves about DTC advertising, but at the top of my list is Pharma.  Maybe it’s because I worked for a pharma agency for the ‘longest four months of my life’. Even though I warned them that pharma agencies and account planners were an oxymoron, I went along with the gig; it didn’t end well. How account planners and great creatives can work in that category is beyond me.  What creative?

Advertising must be memorable, and if you don’t hook the audience during  the first 3 seconds of a commercial, you’re DONE.  I’m an avid watcher of morning news – channel surfing between The Today Show and CBS Mornings.  Both run about 17 minutes of national news, 2 minutes of local news and the rest – well you guessed it – commercials.  And while I can’t quite quantify the mix, I’d say 80-90% of that airtime is pharma. I’ve seen bricks blowing up, people cannonballing into swimming pools, cross country skiing, iron pumping, and kissing your best friend at the book club – you get the picture.  And, to this day, I still don’t remember what ‘The Little Purple Pill’ is used for.   The one 60-seconds of pure agony comes from Jardiance (Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) a we watch an ensemble of pre-diabetic people in bright, flowing clothing dancing in the streets like a scene out of “In the Heights” celebrating the lowering of their A1C.  And that’s where I lose it every morning. 

So let’s take a look at the ‘Madness of Pharma Advertising.’

What Countries Allow Pervasive DTC Pharma Advertising?

Notwithstanding that pharma advertising is creative at its worst, you’ll find the prevalence of pharma advertising to be the in the United States – the broadest and least regulated pharma market in the world.  Other countries may allow limited but highly restrictive advertising. We also know that drug costs in the USA are some of the most expensive in the world.  Could there possibly be a correlation to the advertising and costs of drugs worldwide?

Just How Expensive are Drugs in the USA Compared to Canada and the UK?

I have researched the investment made in branded drugs and their costs in the United States from a number of angles. Overall, while it’s challenging to make direct comparisons due to the complexity of healthcare systems and pricing mechanisms, drug costs in the United States in when compared to Canada and many EU and Asian countries tend to be much higher.

A report released by the Commonwealth Fund confirms what has long been the common wisdom about drug prices in this country: Americans pay a lot more for brand-name – and generic – prescription medications than do residents of most other countries because per capita spending on pharmaceuticals is nearly three times the average of other member nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) according to the report.

The Biden administration recently unveiled the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to price negotiations between manufacturers and Medicare, kicking off a controversial process that aims to make costly medications more affordable for older Americans.

The report compared prices of the first 10 drugs chosen for Medicare price negotiations to prices for the same drugs in seven other countries. In all but one case the United States ranked the highest. For six drugs, Switzerland had the second highest price, and Australia usually showed the lowest price.

Stelara® is a brand that treats plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and is the highest priced drug on that list.  Even accounting for a $5,287.87 rebate, the annual net price in the United States is $12,946.15, compared to Canada’s price of $6,230.05 and $2,430.60 in Australia.  Oh, by the way, Jardiance® was in the top ten as well. 

In 2023, the US Pharma industry overtook technology as the largest industry for DTC ad spending – with the industry investing around $18 billion a year in advertising.  Can this be a significant reason why drugs are so expensive in this country?  I think there is definitely a correlation here.

Is Pharma Advertising Innovative and Single-Minded?

Pharma advertising is big business, but with so many additional elements to consider, it’s not surprising that it has NOT been known for embracing innovative change in its communication and channel use.

Because of the legalities that need to be communicated on top of any brand messages, pharma ads are one of the categories most likely to have multiple messages. Around two thirds (65%) of pharma ads contain 3 or more messages. In general, we know that ads with multiple messages are less effective in impacting a target audience with a lasting impression and understanding.

Clever creative content can bolster effectiveness even when multiple messaging is essential. But clever creative in pharma advertising seems like an exception rather than the rule to my eye. Returning to Jardiance, look at what’s going on. Visually, it looks like a Broadway dance production, and I struggle to figure out what the hell they’re singing and dancing about until a caption on the screen pulses ‘Lower Your A1C.’  And, there are those annoying disclaimers being delivered by a voice-over talking like a machine gun – rambling every symptom and complication known to man.  It all makes my teeth hurt.

So, thank you for reading on and indulging my rant.  Do you feel the same way?  I’d love to know so hit that ‘Contact Us’ form and send me a message with your thoughts.