Merck launched its first corporate advertising campaign in its 114-year history over the weekend, telling consumers that it’s “Where patients come first.”
The campaign, by Ogilvy & Mather New York, includes 3 TV ads running on network and cable channels, along with print ads running in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and more than 40 magazines, including Time, Newsweek and Readers Digest. The ads target adults 40 and over, those most likely to be concerned with their own health and to be healthcare decision-makers for their own families. Forty percent of the buy is being allocated to ads touting Merck’s patient assistance programs.