M e d i c i n e A ve 2 Long days of rewriting scripts and late nights of editing video led to a number of brands, including Claritin and Allegra, going on-air with 60-second commercials within days of the announcement. The euphoria was short-lived. Most of the spots that aired in 1997 received letters from FDA noting violations for any number of reasons—from font size on the disclaimers, to inappropriate video imagery when warnings were being read, to inadequate "adequate provision" (information on how the consumer could access the prescribing information). Consumer confusion over the indications of the drugs that had been using reminder-only ads—such as Claritin, with very high awareness of its Blue Skies campaign, but real uncertainty about what the drug was for—was bad enough. But now new confusion was added over the often excessive side-effects warnings and contraindications. But advertisers, regulators, and consumers worked through it, and through the next round of physician backlash, and soon the airwaves filled up with several dozen "Ask your doctor about (fill in the blank)" commercials. Media Spending Takes Off The influx of television advertising pushed DTC measured media spending over $1 billion for the first time in 1997, finishing the year at $1.3 billion. It would take only two years more to cross $2 billion, with 1999 spending totaling 52.2 billion. Major advertisers quickly shifted their media mix toward TV, with the expectation that the broader audience reach and impact of sight, sound, and motion would propel their brands toward a rapid increase in sales. In 1998, the first full year under the draft guidance, seven brands spent more than $50 million on DTC, with Claritin far and away the leader at more than 128
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDMwNDAx