Advertising

P&G signals plans to cut ad costs by shifting to digital media

Matthew Arnold February 01, 2012

Procter & Gamble is looking to lower its promotion costs by leaning more on digital media, Chairman and CEO Bob McDonald told analysts in an earnings call.

Study of diabetes social networks finds an advertising Wild West

Matthew Arnold October 13, 2011

More than a quarter of posts on Facebook sites for people with diabetes are promotional in nature, many touting products unapproved by the FDA, according to an analysis of diabetes-focused social networks.

Majority of pharma journal ads not FDA-compliant: study

Lauren Folino August 17, 2011

Four out of five ads analyzed in a study of physician-directed pharmaceutical advertising would definitely not pass FDA muster, or might have trouble doing so, said researchers. Their findings may have implications for the FDA, DDMAC and the "Bad Ad" program.

Pain for pharmas in debt ceiling deal

Matthew Arnold August 02, 2011

The 11th-hour debt ceiling deal now squeaking through Congress will likely mean some pain for the drug and device industries, along with everyone else.

EMD Serono brings back "Birds & Bees" infertility effort

Matthew Arnold July 27, 2011

EMD Serono refreshed its "Birds & Bees" fertility issues awareness campaign with a Facebook page and a music video.

NeON gets new head, as IPG bumps Lane upstairs

Marc Iskowitz June 29, 2011

Interpublic Group promoted Matt Lane, co-founder and managing director of NeON, to a position at the holding company level. The agency's parent company, Draftfcb Healthcare, immediately named his successor: Mark Arnold, formerly SVP, managing supervisor at Omnicom's AgencyRx.

ICC Lowe rebrands, expands global footprint

Marc Iskowitz June 02, 2011

Interpublic Group's Lowe & Partners has rebranded its global healthcare network from Lowe Healthcare Worldwide to ICC Lowe, MM&M has learned.

Indie shops rally to retain business as Merck consolidates advertising

Marc Iskowitz May 26, 2011

Merck, one of the biggest spenders in pharma advertising, said it is consolidating its US creative business.

Ad for platelet-inhibition test pushes envelope, cardiologist asserts

Marc Iskowitz March 07, 2011

Is a medical journal ad for platelet-inhibition testing backed up by evidence that treatment guided by such testing can reduce the risk of clot formation?

Roche maintained DTC spending on Boniva, while competitors cut back

Ben Comer March 03, 2011

Sally Field's winsome smile may have helped to curb declining sales of Roche's Boniva in 2010, but it didn't carry the drug past Warner Chilcott's Actonel, despite a substantially higher DTC spend.

GSK shortlists 20 in US Rx advertising review

Matthew Arnold December 16, 2010

A sprawling review of GlaxoSmithKline's advertising business on US pharmaceutical brands is down to a shortlist of 20 agency networks.

Torre, Gross and Townsend named to Medical Advertising Hall of Fame

Matthew Arnold November 08, 2010

The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame announced that it would induct Joe Torre, Alan Gross and Jane Townsend at its February 8 awards dinner.

Company news: Vibrant

November 04, 2010

Contextual advertising firm Vibrant reported 58% growth in pharmaceutical-related revenue in the third quarter.

Just call it LLNS: LyonHeart roars no more

Matthew Arnold September 14, 2010

The agency formerly known as LyonHeart is going back to its maiden name ahead of the rollout of a new Omnicom healthcare agency network.

Good Health Media and Tynt target copy and paste keywords

Ben Comer August 10, 2010

Visitors who copy and paste keywords on any of Good Health Media's 140 web properties will prompt a box of sponsored links, courtesy of Tynt Multimedia technology.

WebMD reports higher ad revenues, site traffic

Marc Iskowitz August 04, 2010

Higher ad revenues and traffic to WebMD's physician and consumer web portals boosted second-quarter earnings, the healthcare information firm said.

Yahoo! Health hopes new apps, content boost advertising

Marc Iskowitz June 23, 2010

Yahoo! expanded its Health offering, deepening content and offering three new search apps it says will enable advertisers to better reach target audiences, including through contextual advertising.

Insulin pen makers roll out new promos

Matthew Arnold May 05, 2010

Sanofi-Aventis US is rolling out a consumer campaign for its Lantus SoloStar pen aimed at getting people with type 2 diabetes to think differently about insulin, while Novo Nordisk revs up another racing-themed social media effort for its FlexPen.

GSK awareness ad for Arzerra a stealth product promotion, says FDA

Marc Iskowitz April 19, 2010

The FDA scolded GlaxoSmithKline over a disease-awareness ad that failed to mention side effects but alluded to newly approved cancer treatment Arzerra. It's a sign the agency is construing the exemption for disease-awareness promotions quite narrowly.

Concern over where ads appear online hindering spend, new whitepaper says

Marc Iskowitz April 16, 2010

It is a problem that has plagued online advertising since 1994, when the first clickable banner ad appeared. Then, as now, ensuring the credibility of online ad platforms can be tricky, and that reality has marketers hesitant to fully allocate online media budgets.

Nexus Awards go to Cleveland Clinic's Dennehy, Quadrant's Boorjian

Ben Comer March 26, 2010

The Association of Medical Media (AMM) named Joe Dennehy of the Cleveland Clinic and Megan Boorjian of Quadrant as its 18th annual Nexus Representatives of the Year, an accolade given to outstanding sales professionals in the field of medical publishing.

DTC spend up 4% on launches, aging blockbusters, says Kantar

Marc Iskowitz March 17, 2010

Campaigns touting new drugs -- and mature products seeking a sales boost late in their lifecycle -- nudged spending on consumer drug ads up nearly 4% to $4.8 billion last year, according Kantar Media.

DTC spending stabilized in 2009 amid strong growth for cable, Internet adspend

Matthew Arnold March 03, 2010

Pharma spending on consumer advertising was largely flat in 2009, rising 1.9% to $4.5 billion over 2008 spend, according to data from The Nielsen Company. That's good news for media companies, suggesting that spending has hit bottom following two years of steep declines.

Omnicom, WPP big winners in Bayer agency consolidation

Ben Comer February 11, 2010

Bayer announced today that it will split global advertising duties between Omnicom and WPP, a consolidation process set to be completed over the next two years.

Nexium ad campaign promises nighttime relief

Matthew Arnold February 03, 2010

AstraZeneca is answering OTC Prevacid with ads touting Nexium's nighttime benefits and taking a comical look at the lengths to which acid reflux sufferers will go for a good night's sleep.

GSK rolls out new Alli ads, study

Matthew Arnold January 20, 2010

GlaxoSmithKline has revamped advertising for its OTC weight loss drug Alli to emphasize bad eating habits. The new ads coincide with a PR campaign touting a study of American eating habits and a film sponsorship.

DDMAC cites fishy Cymbalta fibromyalgia ads

Matthew Arnold January 14, 2010

The FDA issued an untitled letter upbraiding Lilly for Cymbalta consumer and professional ads.

Abbott's next step for Niaspan

Marc Iskowitz January 05, 2010

Abbott Labs' cholesterol drug Niaspan is growing prescription share nicely after a clinical trial highlighted its potential as part of a one-two punch in reducing plaque. Now, the company says, it is considering how best to capitalize on the data.

Cephalon consolidates oncology professional into Draftfcb

Marc Iskowitz, Matthew Arnold January 04, 2010

Cephalon has consolidated its oncology advertising business into Interpublic Group's Draftfcb.

Pharma sought safe havens for DTC in '09

Marc Iskowitz December 31, 2009

Pharma marketers mimicked a savvy Wall Street investor for much of this year, placing safe bets and seeking value. That's likely to be the year's defining pattern, says one DTC media expert.