May 16th, 2024, Clifton Mark
Pfizer emerged as a leader in the global fight against COVID-19 with the development of the first mRNA vaccine. However, as the pandemic faded from the news, the brand has been less at the forefront of American consciousness.
In 2024, Pfizer is trying to change that with campaigns celebrating its 175th anniversary. On January 9th, CEO Albert Berla launched the anniversary along with an ad touting the achievements of the drug company, from its first breakthrough treatment of parasites in 1849, through penicillin production, to the COVID vaccine. Is this campaign working? This analysis uses data from YouGov BrandIndexto track how many Americans are seeing Pfizer’s ads and how consumers are feeling about the brand.
At the beginning of the new year, Pfizer’s Ad Awareness was at 26%, meaning that just over a quarter of Americans had seen an ad for the company in the previous two weeks. Around mid-month, after Berla announced the 175th anniversary campaign, Ad Awareness began to rise steadily.
On February 11th, when Ad Awareness reached 31%, Pfizer released its Super Bowl LVIII “Here’s to Science” ad. The ad depicts statues and photos of historical scientists such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, along with Pfizer founders Charles Erhart and Charles Pfizer, singing Queen's hit “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Pfizer also released an extended 90-second version of this ad, as well as a behind-the-scenes video in which the brand’s marketing chief discusses the campaign.
Pfizers’s Ad Awareness eventually peaked at 35% on February 24, two weeks after their Super Bowl premiere. Since then, Ad Awareness of the drug brand has tapered off slightly, returning to 27% by May 12.
Data suggests that these ads may be helping how consumers view the brand. Early in 2024, consumers’ positive impressions of the drug company rose along with ad exposure. The brand’s Impression score moved from 16 on January 1 to 25 on February 12, the day the Super Bowl ad aired.
It’s also notable that despite Ad Awareness tapering off since the Super Bowl, Pfizer’s Impression scores remain strong, even showing a positive uptick in positive brand impressions in April.
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