Vicks topped Rx and OTC pharma brands for ad impressions in December 2022, Dupixent took year-end crown

Vicks also had an estimated national TV ad spend of $16.2 million during the month.

Jack O'Brien

January 9, 2023

3:20 pm

Source: Getty Images.

The end of 2022 was when over-the-counter drug advertisers put their money where their mouth was when it came to ad spend and the numbers bare it out.

Vicks, best known for its cough and cold relief drugs, had the most impressions of any Rx or OTC pharma brand last month, according to data from iSpot.tv released Monday afternoon, while severe asthma treatment Dupixent led the way for 2022 as a whole.

Vicks achieved an impressions share of voice (SOV) of 7.17% among Rx brands, far ahead of second-place finisher Rinvoq at 4.26%. Vicks also had an estimated national TV ad spend of $16.2 million during the month, favoring CBS as their top network and The Price is Right as their top show.

The remaining top five for December 2022 included Mucinex with impressions SOV of 4.25%, Dupixent with impressions SOV of 4.22% and Skyrizi with impressions SOV of 2.50%.

Also included in the top 10 for the month were FreeStyle, Nucala, Alka-Seltzer, America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses as well as Robitussin.

For the full year, Dupixent had an impressions SOV of 4.05%, 28.4 billion impressions and an estimated national TV ad spend of $305.9 million.

Rinvoq came in second place again, this time registering impressions SOV of 2.98%, 20.9 billion impressions and an estimated national TV ad spend of $315.8 million.

Vicks was the third-place finisher for overall impressions in 2022, while Mucinex and Aleve also made the top 10. Migraine drugs like Ubrelvy and Nurtec also finished in the top 10 while plaque psoriasis drugs like Tremfya and Skyrizi made the list as well.

The millions upon millions spent on advertising OTC drugs throughout 2022 was hardly a surprise given the heightened concerns of a nationwide ‘tripledemic’ of COVID-19, the flu and RSV.

In December, MediaRadar released data that found drug advertiser s boosted their investment in ad sales to meet the heightened demand for cold and flu medication. Advertisers spent $170 million between January and October 2022, with $73 million being spent between September and October alone.