Super Bowl Ads Pit Levitra Against Cialis; Viagra Stays On The Sidelines
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Executive Summary
Erectile dysfunction ads mark new milestone in short history of DTC advertising on TV. Metaphor and euphemisms dominate in Levitra and Cialis ads.
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Bayer/GSK's new "reminder" ad for Levitra takes metaphorical digs at both of its competitors in the erectile dysfunction therapy category. Bayer and GSK launched two new "reminder" ads for Levitra (vardenafil) during Super Bowl XXXVIII, which aired Feb. 1 on CBS. The first Levitra Super Bowl ad featured former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka discussing why he prefers football to baseball - and, by implication, why he prefers Levitra to either Lilly/Icos' Cialis or Pfizer's Viagra . Lilly/Icos also bought a spot during the game to promote Cialis; Pfizer, however, chose not to run any Viagra spots. The Feb. 1 Super Bowl telecast marked another milestone in the relatively short history of direct-to-consumer television ads for prescription drugs as two new competitors tackled the promotion of erectile dysfunction therapies in front of one of the largest annual national TV audiences. The Levitra ad takes advantage of its position as an official sponsor of the National Football League. The comparison of football and baseball, however, was a direct jab at Pfizer's market-leading ED therapy Viagra (sildenafil). Pfizer is a sponsor of Major League Baseball and uses Rafael Palmeiro to promote Viagra and men's health issues. The Levitra ad also contains an implied response to Cialis, which is being positioned based on a longer duration of action with ads highlighting the spontaneity of being able to choose the "right moment." The Levitra ad opens with Ditka explaining why he loves football: "It's fast…it's action packed; play after play," Ditka says. "In football, come rain or snow or whatever, we play. We stay in the game." The ad then cuts to scenes during a baseball game. The music slows during the baseball scenes and Ditka says, "Baseball? It's not quite the same." The former Bears coach adds, "In football, it's Levitra. Baseball…could use a little Levitra." Lilly/Icos used a full "product and use" ad for Cialis (tadalafil) during the Super Bowl, a first for an erectile dysfunction agent. The companies emphasized the duration of action for the product (36 hours) as the primary claim in the ad, and generally relied on euphemisms to convey the medical use of the drug. The ad features four scenes of couples in relaxing but romantic situations, while an announcer asks, "if a relaxing moment…turns into the right moment, will you be ready?" Cialis is the first erectile dysfunction therapy "that gives you up to 36 hours to choose the moment that's right for you...and your partner," the announcer says. The ad takes a more explicit turn when discussing the Cialis risk information. "Erections lasting longer than four hours, though rare, require immediate medical attention," the announcer says. Other adverse events noted during the ad include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. The announcer also warns against co-administration of nitrates and certain alpha blockers. Both new ED entrants received the same amount of playing time during the Super Bowl: Lilly/Icos bought a 60-second spot for Cialis while Bayer/GSK's divided Levitra's time between two spots, 45 seconds and 15 seconds. The second Levitra ad also featured Ditka, this time urging men to take "the Levitra Challenge," which includes three steps: talking to your doctor, asking about Levitra and seeing if a free trial is right for you. During the spot, an announcer directs patients to coupons offering a three-day free trial of Levitra. The coupons appeared in major newspapers nationwide on Feb. 2. - Steele Thomas |