The Joy of DTC Drug Ads

Brand Awareness Is More Often a Symptom

Apart from giving hypochondriacs new ailments to fret about, what has been the effect of direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs? A study by Ipsos PharmTrends says the ads have become increasingly effective at creating brand awareness. “Awareness levels of DTC ads are considerably higher for latecomers—brands that launched in 2001 and beyond.” For products launched DTC before 2001, an average of 3.9 percent of a drug’s consumers had asked a doctor for it due to an ad they’d seen.