Lilly Icos is returning to the Super Bowl with a late-breaking buy. Super Bowl viewers will see a 60-second Cialis spot featuring the brand’s new theme music, “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes.
The ad, by Grey Worldwide, uses familiar images of mature couples in romantic settings, now set to the strains of the Motown classic, and trumpets Cialis’ fast-acting, long-lasting properties.
“Last year, we debuted Cialis advertising during the Super Bowl, the single most high-profile event among our target audience,” said Cialis U.S. brand team leader Matt Beebe in a statement. “This year, we’re back because of the great success we’ve had with Cialis.”
The drug has been gaining market share in the U.S., while Pfizer’s Viagra has lost share and sales of Levitra, marketed in the U.S. by GlaxoSmithKline and Schering-Plough, have remained largely static. Cialis went from a 10.9 percent U.S. market share in March to 17.8 percent in October, measured in total dollars, while Viagra’s share fell from 77.3 percent to 68.9 percent and Levitra’s share rose slightly, from 8.7 percent to 10 percent, according to IMS Health. In September, IMS Health data showed the Lilly Icos drug claiming 21 percent of new scripts in the U.S.
Lilly Icos is the first ED drug maker to buy airtime for this year’s Super Bowl, taking place Feb. 6, though Novartis’ Ciba Vision is airing a 30-second spot, also by Grey Worldwide, to promote the launch of its 02-Optix indication. GlaxoSmithKline director of product communications Michael Fleming declined comment on the Levitra team’s Super Bowl advertising plans, but said Levitra “will have a presence in Jacksonville next week,” when the Levitra Play of the Year will be announced. The event is the culmination of the Levitra Play of the Week promotion, which has drawn an average of 20,000 votes per week online for the 17 weeks it has run, Fleming said. The winner will recieve a trophy and a check in his name will be presented to the American Urological Association for the study of men’s health issues. The event will feature former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who has featured in Levitra ads, along with Dallas Cowboys great Tony Dorsett.