
Pfizer, Novartis and Eli Lilly among pharmas hitting the red carpet with Academy Award TV ads
And the Academy Award goes to … pharma?
Maybe a bit of a stretch, but Sunday night’s Hollywood awards broadcast included an unexpected five TV ads from pharma industry companies – Pfizer, which was also a leading sponsor of the awards show, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Incyte and Exact Sciences.
It’s an unusual turn for the industry – the Academy Awards are pricey media placements and the celebrity dress-to-impress fest tends to draw more lifestyle brands than healthcare reminders. Still, the Oscars, along with mega-sports events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, are remaining rare opportunities in today’s media-fragmented world to reach a primetime mass audience. Cost for a 30-second spot this year ranged from $1.7 million to $2.2 million and Disney’s ABC sold out all 60 spots by last week, according to a Variety report.
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