• Ad Age, Friday, April 14, 2006 11:30 AM

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which markets Viagra, has launched a second non-branded ad campaign addressing the issue of erectile dysfunction. The new effort encourages men to discuss erectile dysfunction with their doctor and features sexual health expert and TV and radio host Dr. Drew Pinsky. It includes TV spots, a Web site, and a toll free number. The campaign does not mention Viagra by name, but the Web site (justasktoday.com) has a section in which it asks participants to answer a series of questions. After hitting "submit," the site then takes visitors to a page that shows the phrase "Learn about the most-prescribed ED tablet" and a link that takes you to Viagra's dedicated Web site. The campaign comes six months after an effort urged men to "Make the Call" and ask their doctors about ED. The new tagline is "Just Ask Today." The campaign and another branded effort Pfizer is said to be preparing are designed to boost Viagra's slumping sales. Pharmaceutical information company IMS Health figures show Viagra had 62.7 percent of the ED drug category last year, down from 73.4 percent in 2004 and 90 percent in 2003. Cialis, from Eli Lilly and Icos, has a 23.3 percent share and Levitra, from GlaxoSmithKline and Schering-Plough, has 10.9 percent.

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