Sepracor has shifted its Lunesta DTC advertising business
from McCann Erickson to Kaplan Thaler Group.
Since 2006, ads featuring
Lunesta's moth have ranked tops in viewer recall, according to IAG Research,
and Sepracor leads the industry in DTC spending as a result of its hefty
outlays on the brand's behalf. From January 2006 through September 2007,
Lunesta DTC spend totaled nearly $453 million, according to TNS Media
Intelligence. By contrast, Sanofi-Aventis spent a scant $265 million on
consumer ads for its Ambien franchise, and Takeda spent a paltry $171 million
promoting Rozerem to consumers.