When some prime time games ended up being total duds this past season, there was some concern that the NFL may be losing its edge. Maybe, just maybe, the league had hit a saturation point. If that was indeed the case and ratings became soft, the league would lose advertisers. If that happened and revenue dropped, would that signal the beginning of the end?
Could the sky begin falling on the NFL?
As luck would have it, the country’s favorite violent, testosterone-drive professional sport has lost one advertiser and will likely lose a second in the months ahead — Viagra.
Next to football, the one physical activity that men enjoy most is…well, it’s what Viagra is intended to help. Millions of men watch football religiously every weekend. The audience couldn’t be more ideally suited for a product. So why in the world would Viagra want to pull its $31 million ad campaign from the NFL.
There is actually a pretty good reason–and it’s one that and one that guys will like to hear.
Anthony Crupi of Advertising Age has reported that Viagra will soon be losing its patent exclusivity. This means generic (and cheaper) versions of the product will soon be popping up on the market. Cialis is expected to lose their patent exclusivity as well which likely means they will be pulling their advertising.
Once a generic gets in the mix, that usually spells the end of any direct-to-consumer advertising for the legacy brand,” said one ad sales exec (via Adage). “Rather than continue to market something they no longer have exclusivity over — which really can only help boost sales of the new generic pill — the pharmaceutical company will reallocate that portion of its budget back into its brands that are still exclusive.
In total, the NFL will end up being down about $50 million in ad revenue between the two products.
Revenue will end up taking a small dip for the time being. But with cheaper ‘marital aids’ hitting the market soon, halftime should become more entertaining for fans watching at home.