Benadryl rules allergy season despite low Ad Awareness
Where did Americans turn for relief for their spring allergies this year? Data from YouGov BrandIndex, a daily brand tracker, can tell us which brands’ advertising caught people’s attention this year and the medications that Americans might reach for next time they’re at the drugstore.
Allergy season ad campaigns
Several allergy brands have made big advertising pushes during the spring season, and Americans have noticed.
Claritin released a series of “Claritin clear” video ads featuring people comfortably engaging in activities that normally trigger allergic reactions, such as greeting a pack of dogs, playing in the grass or taking photos of their girlfriend.
These spots helped Claritin raise its Ad Awareness from around 12% at the beginning of February to over 20% in late April. It remained relatively steady until mid-June, peaking around 22% before beginning to decline.
Zyrtec and Allegra show similar patterns. Zyrtec began with an Ad Awareness near 12% before peaking shy of 18%. Some of this may be due to their partnerships with several pet-owning influencers as well as this TV spot urging consumers to “Zeize the day” like Dave, the deliverer of dance.
Allegra’s score rose steeply from 8.9% at the beginning of February, to 14.3% on the tenth of May. This may be related to promotions for Allegra Airways, a new mapping app which helps users find routes that minimize exposure to allergens.
Benadryl’s Ad Awareness score was much lower than other brands for most of this period, remaining relatively stable between 6-9% during this period.
Do allergy ads lead to purchase consideration?
Purchase Consideration for different allergy medicines this year shows that the relationship between advertising and results is not always a direct one.
Claritin had the highest Ad Awareness of the five allergy brands, but only the third highest in Consideration. However, the two variables do move in the same direction. Claritin’s Ad Awareness boost was accompanied by a rise in Purchase Consideration, particularly in June when it reached a high of 20.9% from 15.5% at the beginning of February. Of course, some of this variability may be attributed to seasonal demand.
Zyrtec’s Ad Awareness also rose significantly, but with no concomitant rise in consideration. Even though it had the second-highest Ad Awareness score for the whole period, it ranks fourth on Purchase Consideration.
The real winner of allergy brands seems to be Benadryl. Benadryl ads reached fewer Americans than those of other brands. Moreover, many doctors do not recommend Benadryl as an allergy treatment, favoring medicines which have fewer side-effects.
Yet despite these apparent disadvantages, more Americans will consider buying Benadryl than its competitors. Purchase Consideration for the first-generation antihistamine was 25.7% on February first, rising to 29.9% by the Fourth of July. Apparently, the medication’s brand equity is enough to overcome lower advertising and medical advice.
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YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. A brand’s Ad Awareness score is based on the question: “"Which of the following drugs or medical products have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?" A brands Purchase Consideration score is based on the question: “"When you are in the market next to purchase drugs or medical products, which of the following would you consider buying?"
(% Yes). Data from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in US from February 1 2024-July 25, 2024. Scores are based on a four-week moving average.