The Newest TV Star: Prescription Meds
6 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // July 30th, 2007 // 7:52 am
Turn on the telly and you’re more likely to see your favorite med mentioned in your favorite show. There were 462 mentions of prescription drugs on TV last year, more than double the number from just two years earlier, The Indianapolis Star reports. Some may be paid plugs, others not. Either way, it’s an effective form of stealth marketing, at least for drugs that retain exclusivity.
However, drugmakers are relatively small players in product placement. None are in the top 10, according to Nielsen. Overall, companies paid $3.36 billion globally last year to place their products in TV, film and other media, up 37 percent from a year earlier, according to PQ Media. Here are the top mentions in shows last year*:
Botox (cosmetic treatment) by Allergan - 72 times;
Vicodin (painkiller) by Abbott - 56 times;
Viagra (erectile dysfunction) by Pfizer - 54 times;
Rohypnol (sedative) by Roche - 50 times;
NuvaRing (contraceptive) by Organon - 36 times;
Ritalin (ADHD) by Novartis - 22 times;
Valium (anxiety) by Roche - 17 times;
Prozac (depression) by Lilly - 16 times;
Xanax (anxiety) by Pfizer - 14 times;
Cipro (antibiotic) by Bayer - 12 times;
Shows with the most brand-drug mentions in 2007 (through July 10)*:
• “Scrubs” (NBC) 78
• “House” (Fox) 41
• “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) 33
• “Law & Order SVU” (NBC) 25
• “ER” (NBC) 16
In the first half of this year, for instance, Lilly products were mentioned 48 times on broadcast and cable TV shows, nearly triple from the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen Product Placement. But Lilly says it’s not paying for the plugs. “We see these when we’re at home, sitting on the couch, just like everyone else,” says Lilly spokeswoman Judy Kay Moore. “We’re not in cahoots with scriptwriters. We don’t pay them. If it happens, it’s by happenstance.”
Organon, however, has acknowledged paying for plugs. In one episode of the NBC situation comedy “Scrubs,” a logo for the contraceptive brand NuvaRing appeared 11 times, mostly on posters placed in the background.
“On some shows, a character can drink a Coke or hop into a car,” Fariba Zamaniyan, senior vice president for IAG Research tells The Star. “You can’t do that with a pharmaceutical product…It’s only a brand name. Unless you talk about what the benefits are, you can’t see the value of it.”
* Nielsen via The Indianapolis Star
Lew
Of course, while product placements may be on the rise, it’s worth noting that most of these mentions (the top 10) are unlikely to be driven by pharma companies. Afterall, 6 of those drugs have generic subsitutes and a 7th is not even legally available in the US. Thus, there is limited to no ability for a brand manufacturer to profit from these placements. Also, given Viagra’s and Botox’s roles in pop culture, I suspect that most (almost all perhaps) of these mentions were script driven and not manufacturer driven. Thus, in the end, only NuvaRing among the top 10 9is likely driven by the manufacturer.
Hank
Agree with Lew. I assume on any doc show generic name would be used, which would be unknown to the great majority of viewers. If brand name used, when generic available, that would suggest there is payola involved.
Ed Silverman
Hi Gentlemen,
Understood. Points well taken. It is an interesting trend, though, isn’t it? This suggests a growing venue for product visibility and recognition beyond the drugs mentioned in this particular list. And if a brand name is desirable, for whatever reason, then perhaps a paid plug is in order. I assume that’s what was meant by the use of the word payola, as opposed to something under the table.
Thanks for the insights,
ed
Hank
Agree, Ed. By payola (probably wrong word) I meant buying “air time” - need not be illicit in any way.
On the other hand, I would be surprised if med show writers would use a brand name reference because of specifically medical considerations (assuming generic available). I suppose if it were three years from now, and Robert Jarvik or Bob Dole were cast as patients….
Lew
Hank,
I may be misunderstanding your statement; however, in my view, the medical shows use brand names because they are recognizable (eg, Valium instead of diazepam). Even when they use the brand name, there’s no value for the brand company since it gets, at most, 1 out of 10 or 20 scripts. There’s just no ROI.
Lew
Hank
You may be right, Lew. I don’t watch a lot of medical shows (since St. Elsewhere). But my vague memory is that generics are ususally referred to because it sounds more “scientific” and, indeed, that’s normally what residents would do. Unless things have changed, most audiences are not following the medicine as much as the drama/plot/characters/romance. In that context, hearing “Valium” might be a kind of distraction.
Anyway, no reason to be Platonists. This is an empirical question if anyone wants to spend a lot of tube time!