Logo

Why the TV Ad Market for Viagra and Cialis Has Gone Soft

Jul 12, 2017  •  Post A Comment

The makers of the drugs Viagra and Cialis have begun to pull out of the television ad market, according to a report by The New York Post.

The once ubiquitous “flirty, bedmate Viagra ads” will no longer be staples of male-focused NFL programming and other sports telecasts, nor will the Cialis spots featuring the familiar line “Will you be ready when the moment is right?” the story reports.

A big reason: “The patents on both drugs are expiring and generic versions are set to flood the market,” The Post reports.

Pfizer, which makes Viagra, reportedly spent $100 million on TV in the past year to market the drug, while Eli Lilly’s Cialis brand spent about $105 million.

Viagra spent $31 million on NFL spots alone during the past season, according to the report, which cites data from iSpot.tv. But Viagra reportedly hasn’t aired a TV spot since May 15, and Pfizer did not commit ad dollars in the upfront TV ad market.

Cialis continues to advertise on TV, but at a much lower frequency. The number of spots has been cut back from 91 a day to fewer than 10, The Post reports.

5 Comments

  1. What a shame. We’ll just have to satisfy ourselves with pizza ads.

  2. Many will be even more satisfied when they see the price savings of 60-70 percent less than they were paying for the branded product.

  3. Love the headline “The Viagra market has softened” … Hahaha! And then the first sentence says that the Viagra makers are going to “pull out” of the market!! Really??!!
    Not to sound like a dick, but we should take a hard position on this matter!!

  4. Thanks for the headline and the morning grin. Also thanks to Robert for the best reply on TV Week we’ve seen in a long time.

  5. Ah, but here’s the REAL REASON you won’t be seeing Viagra,, Cialis or Levitra ads on TV anymore.
    “According to a recent study, erectile dysfunction treatments like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra may increase a man’s risk of developing melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer.
    This discovery could have a wide impact on the pharmaceutical community as it is estimated that over 23 million men have been prescribed Viagra worldwide to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) since its U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1998.
    While some erectile dysfunction drug side effects, including vision complications and hearing loss, while taking Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra have been well documented, the link between these popular virility drugs and melanoma is a new discovery.
    In light of this study and other consumer reports, hundreds of men may file Viagra skin cancer lawsuits or join Viagra skin cancer class action lawsuits. Cialis lawsuits and Levitra lawsuits may also be filed against other erectile dysfunction drug treatment manufacturers.”

Leave a Reply to AJan Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)