Pharma brands generated billions of ad impressions on TV during the first half of 2023, according to a report released by iSpot.tv this week.

The company produced a ranking of the top 10 ‘new’ brands in terms of TV ad impressions. To be considered ‘new,’ these brands did not appear on TV during the first half of 2022.

Pharma dominated the list, as Bayer’s Astepro led the way with 7.4 billion TV ad impressions during the first six months of the year. The report noted that the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy, cold and flu treatment first appeared on TV last fall but received most of its impressions from NBC, especially during a marketing push at the start of allergy season.

Finishing with the silver medal was AbbVie’s Skyrizi for Crohn’s disease, which had just over 6 billion impressions. The advertising strategy for the drug primarily focused on NBC’s nightly and morning news programs airing during allergy season.

Taking bronze was Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sotyktu, which was supported by a direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaign that launched during the Grammy Awards in late January. The treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis had 4.34 billion ad impressions, primarily coming from ABC.

Returning to TV after a more than two-year hiatus was Revlon, which placed fourth overall with 3.38 billion impressions. The cosmetics and makeup brand performed strongest on Investigation Discovery.

Mobile games Dream rounded out the top five with 3.37 billion impressions, generated largely from ads on CBS.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Mounjaro placed in eighth with 3.05 billion impressions, Skyrizi for psoriatic arthritis placed ninth with 2.96 billion impressions and hair care brand Schwarzkopf finished in tenth with 2.86 billion impressions.

The analysis of pharma brands among TV ad impressions to start the year complements the monthly rankings iSpot.tv puts together of Rx and OTC brands. On a month by month basis, the competition in that space has been intense, though one name has excelled ahead of others: Dupixent.

The eczema and asthma drug from Sanofi and Regeneron was the top Rx and OTC brand in terms of impressions share of voice in January, March, May and June. Vicks claimed the top spot in February while Skyrizi took the crown in April.

To read a December 2023 article about pharma ads in 2024, click here.