MarketingRx roundup: Publicis takes cancer workplace effort to Super Bowl; Pharma advertisers still spend big on TV

31 Jan 2023
Drug Approval
Backed by a group of founding big-name brand partners that include AbbVie, Sanofi and MSD, Publicis Group is taking its “Working with Cancer” message to the Super Bowl. The one-minute commercial set to debut during the game highlights the struggle of dealing with cancer and managing work through the eyes of two people on their commutes to work on the first Monday back. The Super Bowl spot kicks off a broader multimedia campaign, backed by $100 million donated from media companies, including Disney/ABC, Fox, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube and Meta, that will include a Times Square takeover on World Cancer Day this Saturday. That takeover will focus on the idea of “half,” referring to the fact that one in two people will get cancer in their lifetime — and that 50% of people with cancer say they are afraid to tell their employers. The campaign is tied to the Working with Cancer pledge , asking companies to commit to the coalition efforts to best practices with and for employees dealing with cancer. MediaRadar took a look back at pharma advertiser trends in 2022 to predict what’s on tap for the coming year. The big news is that drugmakers will likely still be spending big on ads — $6.6 billion through November by MediaRadar’s tally, with an average of $600 million spent per month — although down slightly year-over-year by 2%. MediaRadar also parsed out the top drug therapy areas for advertising for 2022. In order: diabetes, psoriasis, arthritis, migraine and HIV/AIDS. Across media channels, pharmas tended to stick with what they know, despite some moves to digital. Overall, drugmaker spending divvied up to 23% on digital, 9% on print, and the bulk still going to TV at 68% of all spending through November, according to MediaRadar. While the pandemic forced a shift to digital in early 2020, the report surmises that “with the pandemic making headlines less often, advertisers appear to be getting back to ‘business as usual.’” Eli Lilly and Incyte’s June approval of alopecia areata drug Olumiant — the first ever by the FDA — is racking up notice on TikTok, driven by women telling their stories about taking the medication. A handful of physicians are also chiming in about the approval with thoughts and advice for patients. Neither Lilly nor Incyte are involved in the TikTok video testimonials, but the viral popularity does point to the unmet need in the condition. What Lilly is doing in marketing currently is running two simple, text-heavy Oluminant brand ads on Facebook, which began last week. Meanwhile, potential competitor Pfizer is running an online educational campaign featuring patient stories, “Reflections of Alopecia Areata.” Pfizer submitted its JAK3 inhibitorJAK3 inhibitor candidate ritlecitinib to the FDA in the fall and expects a decision in the second quarter. A Pfizer spokesperson declined to comment about the educational effort. On the campaign website and on YouTube , videos feature two real women in their 30s who have the autoimmune condition, talking about their experiences and eventually becoming advocates. Three of Ad Age’s top 10 best advertising agencies or ad tech companies to work for in 2023 are health-focused. Heartbeat in New York was ranked No. 2 on the list of best larger agencies (201+ employees), while Spectrum Science was No. 8 and Digitas Health came in at No. 9. CMI Media Group and Compas healthcare marketing and media came in at No. 18 on the list. In last year’s survey, two health agencies ranked in the top 10, while in 2021, no health-focused industry companies made it to the top-ranked list. The annual ranking by Ad Age and Best Companies Group is based on both submissions from employers and surveys answered by employees. This year’s winners were called out overall for “Fair pay. Solid benefits,” Ad Age reported.
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