Most memorable ad list released

March 31, 2009 – 10:36 am by Steven Niles

Now that my work on the April issue is (nearly) complete, I can turn my attention to our annual DTC special report, scheduled for May. And just in time, The Nielsen Company has released its list of 2008’s most-recalled pharmaceutical and vaccine ads. You may remember that list as coming from IAG Research in years past. The Nielsen Company acquired IAG Research last year.

So, Eli Lilly and Co. was the big winner in the memory stakes. Two spots for Cialis and a spot for Cymbalta were all in the top 4. Also memorable was a spot for Warner Chilcott’s birth control pill Loestrin24 Fe and a spot for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis‘ Plavix.

As part of the research release, Fariba Zamaniyan, senior VP of the healthcare practice at Nielsen IAG, provides some video commentary on the most-memorable ads. I spoke to Ms. Zamaniyan last year for our DTC special report and found her extremely knowledgeable about why certain TV spots stick in viewers’ minds.

Look for the most-recalled new prescription drug ad list in our May issue along with detailed charts on DTC ad spend. I’m also talking with a variety of industry players to find out whether digital marketing channels have finally usurped traditional mass media in terms of value and effectiveness or whether there’s still life left in old media.

Tags: DTC, memorable ads, Nielsen