For the first time since February, Vicks is back on top as the lead Rx and over-the-counter (OTC) brand for ad impressions, according to data released by iSpot.tv Monday morning. 

The cough and cold relief drugs brand generated an impressions share of voice (SOV) of 5.51% in November, including 2.9 billion impressions overall.

Vicks, which is owned by Procter and Gamble, had an estimated national TV ad spend of $15.1 million and received most of its impressions SOV from CBS, in particular its college football broadcasts.

Vicks’ ascent to the top of the rankings coincides with the start of cold and flu season in the U.S., which has been marked by a rise in hospitalizations in recent weeks. The brand is familiar with this territory during this time of year, capturing the crown as top Rx and OTC brand for ad impressions in December 2022.

Displaced from the top spot was second-place finisher Skyrizi, which had an impressions SOV of 4.62% and 2.4 billion impressions in total.

The Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis treatment from Boehringer Ingelheim and AbbVie had the highest estimated national TV ad spend of the month with $36.6 million and gained most of its impressions on NBC through its NFL coverage.

The bronze went to Dupixent, which was the top brand several months during 2023, as the eczema and asthma treatment from Sanofi and Regeneron had an impressions SOV of 3.99% and 2.1 billion impressions in total. Dupixent had an estimated national TV ad spend of $21.3 million and saw most of its impressions delivered by broadcast television network ION.

Finishing out the top five were AbbVie’s Rinvoq and Reckitt Benckiser’s Rexulti, in that order.

The bottom half of the list included Reckitt Benckiser’s Mucinex, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sotyktu, Alka-Seltzer, GSK’s RSV vaccine Arexvy and AbbVie’s Vraylar.

Notably, Mucinex and Alka-Seltzer finished with the lowest estimated national TV ad spend, with $4.9 million each.

Much like with cold and flu season, Arexvy’s debut on the list shows that marketers recognize the value in advertising around the annual rise in respiratory illnesses.

This is especially true for GSK, which got the first approval from the Food and Drug Administration for an RSV vaccine in May and has been faced with several other Big Pharma competitors in the space in the following months.

The vaccine has not only given it a leg up on its competitors in terms of entering the market first, it has also boosted the British pharma giant’s bottom line. 

Arexvy sales hit £700 million last quarter and the company’s vaccines division saw sales rise 33% year-over-year.

In light of the strong quarter, GSK raised its guidance, estimating an adjusted operating profit growth up 13% to 15% and adjusted EPS growth 17 to 20%.