The latest from DTC Perspectives

Newcomer Pristiq Ranks Among Nielsen's Most Recalled DTC Spots

While four of the top five DTC television spots in the ranking of “Most Recalled Prescription Drug Ads of 2008-2009” from Nielsen IAG are holdovers from last year, Wyeth’s Pristiq spot is the only newcomer breaking into the top five.

The spot, “Wind-Up Doll,” features a recall index of 128, placing it firmly in the No. 3 ranking. Fariba Zamaniyan, a senior vice president of healthcare at Nielsen, said Pristiq’s position in the top five is “notable,” and praised the brand for reaching the top of the rankings despite being “ a newcomer to a highly cluttered category.”

Other brands in the top five are: Flomax (Boehringer Ingelheim), Cialis (Eli Lilly), Gardasil (Merck), Plavix (Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Orencia (Bristol-Meyers Squibb).   Within the top five are three 75-second spots, making this list the first time three 75-second spots have appeared among the most-recalled DTC ads.

Zamaniyan said five brands with highest viewer recall scored well because they represented the “best in creative execution” among DTC ads, embodying the elements that “make an ad memorable – uniqueness, consistency in storyline, standing out from the rest, relevancy and connectivity with the viewer base.”

The list, which is compiled using Nielsen IAG’s tracking service, measures the percentage of TV viewers that can recall an ad within 24 hours of known exposure.   Only ads that air on the five major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CW – are monitored.