From Mr. Mucus to the Super Bowl, pharma tries offbeat marketing strategies

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In the U.S. drug market, which is one of only a few that allows direct-to-consumer advertising, it sometimes takes an unconventional approach to stand apart from the crowd.

Pharma companies shifted marketing practices last year, spending more to target select consumer groups while cutting back on sales efforts focused on healthcare professionals, according to a marketing survey conducted by MM+M. They’re also spending more on non-linear TV and digital media.

Quirky ads that aim to raise awareness about diseases or drugs can make an important impression on patients and consumers. Drugmakers with first-in-class or first-in-disease treatments are also taking novel approaches to promote their products.

Here’s a look at three unique marketing plays in 2024 from the pharma world.

Veozah’s Super Bowl dreams

Astellas Pharmas’ Veozah was a “game-changer” menopause treatment when it was approved in May last year. The drug, a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist, offered the first approved nonhormonal treatment for hot flashes, which affect about 75% of menopausal women. But the company found that uptake of the drug was slower than expected, due to misconceptions about the coverage landscape and prescriber hesitancy. 

So Astellas aimed to boost awareness and education for healthcare providers and patients on one of the largest stages in the world: the Super Bowl. 

The company purchased a 2024 Super Bowl ad spot in February when 30-second commercials were selling at a reported cost of about $7 million. The ad stressed that the drug is hormone free and can change hot flashes to “not flashes.” It wasn’t Astellas’ first trip to the big game — in 2023, the drugmaker bought an ad prior to the drug’s approval to raise awareness of vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats to get the ball rolling.

Despite the high price tag for ads, the Astellas promotion was ranked 64 out of 96 Super Bowl ads for consumer engagement. Still, its presence at the game was notable for taking advantage of a shrinking gender gap among Super Bowl watchers. The 2024 game brought in the most female viewers ever, reaching nearly 59 million women, who made up 48% of the audience. 

Veozah sales also surpassed $95 million during the first six months of 2024, according to a recent earnings report — a massive jump from $47 million in 2023.

Mr. Mucus’ dating profile

Reckitt Benckiser, a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company, gave its Mucinex mascot, Mr. Mucus, a tongue-in-cheek profile on the dating app Tinder this fall to promote its over-the-counter nighttime cold and flu medicine Mucinex Nightshift. 

The cartoon mascot’s profile featured images that leaned into cringe-worthy online dating cliches, such as holding up a freshly caught fish and set up Tinder users to find Mr. Mucus — a personified snot blob — while swiping on the app.

The company timed the marketing play, dubbed the “No Regrets” campaign, with cold and flu season, which is also known as “cuffing season,” or when single people seek partners to spend the chilly months with.

In addition to targeting singles, the Tinder spot was designed to “encourage consumers to make smarter nighttime decisions so they have a better morning,” the company said in a press release. 

Genentech’s SMA musical

When a pharma company wants to raise awareness about a rare disease for which they have an approved treatment, why not a 45-minute musical directed by a Tony-nominated actor? That’s the approach Genentech took this year to put spinal muscular atrophy in front of audiences. 

SMA, a rare neuromuscular disorder triggered by a deficiency of a motor neuron protein that leads to muscle weakness and atrophy, is a “major” cause of infant death when untreated, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The satirical musical, “Most Likely Not To…,” shined a light on the impact of ableism by following a protagonist traveling to her 20-year high school reunion who encounters challenges along the way, like inaccessible airplane bathrooms. It was written and performed by members of the SMA community, including influencer Shane Burcaw, and directed by actor, singer and puppeteer John Tartaglia.

The musical was sponsored by Genentech and performed at Times Center in New York City earlier this year.

For Genentech, the performance coincided with Rare Disease Day in February and was part of the company’s SMA My Way program, which aims to highlight the lived experiences of people with the disease.