Is Direct-to-Consumer TV Advertising a Losing Proposition?

2014 was a banner year for TV direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising in that it saw the highest percentage spent on TV since at least 2001 (see chart and read "Pharma Ups Its Investment in TV DTC Advertising").

A few weeks ago I said "Forgettaboutit! The numbers are not yet in for 2015, but if it's anything like 2014 -- and judging by personal experience -- the drug industry will be spending even MORE money on TV DTC ads."

UPDATE (3 Mar 2016): The numbers for 2015 are here (see charts and "Annual Spending on Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Nearly at an All-Time High"). My prediction was correct: Since 2011, the portion of DTC spending on TV has was 69% in 2015 versus 61% in 2014.

The Top 10 TV DTC Rx advertisers spent $876.3 million in 2015 (see insert below). The question is: Is it worth it?

My answer: No! How do I know? Click on "Read More" after the insert below for my analysis of TV DTC ROI (return on investment).

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TV DTC Advertising Spending

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