Perspective: Pass the Vicks

Medical authorities tell us that somewhere around 1 billion Americans will catch a cold this year—no small part of why marketing authorities tell us that advertising over-the-counter cough remedies is a good idea right about now, with cold season at its peak. A billion sick people is enough to keep plenty of cough-remedy brands in business, too, but Vicks—the billion-dollar Procter & Gamble brand that makes NyQuil, DayQuil, VapoRub and Formula 44—is the king of the colored syrups.