VNR Reaches More Than 100 Million Nationwide
Getting the word out about Pfizer's Viagra, the alleged wonder drug for impotence, didn't require the usual media courting. Instead TV stations were as eager to get the FDA's green light as Pfizer.
Prior to the FDA's approval of Viagra on March 27, a Wall Street Journal article announcing its FDA status whetted the appetite of health reporters around the country who were eager to hear more.
With national media demand this high, the media relations challenge was making sure all of the stations got the video news release (VNR), says Doug Simon, president of New York-based D S Simon Productions that co-produced the VNR for Pfizer.
"We knew the story was going to be big, we had to make sure we were ready with alerts and updates once the FDA approved [Viagra]."
Six weeks of enormous media coverage with no end in sight has confirmed Simon's hunches. So far, more than 100 million people nationwide have seen the story. And doctors have been writing more than 400 prescriptions a day.
It aired nationally on news channels like CNN and MSNBC as well as on shows including, "NBC Nightly News," "CBS Evening News," "The Today Show" and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." Even Comedy Central couldn't resist covering the breakthrough drug with a pseudo news bite called "FDA Up with the People" that aired actual VNR footage and poked fun about Viagra's impact on married couples.
Gearing Up for the Coverage
D S Simon and Pfizer began strategizing for the VNR production six weeks prior to the drug's approval. The VNR included lab footage, product shots and interviews with key people in Viagra research trials and medical professionals.
To prepare for the impending media frenzy, the production company added one more staffer to its five-person media relations team, which was on hold for more than a week awaiting FDA approval, says Simon.
When the FDA gave the green light, the team went into launch mode starting at 7:00 a.m. the following morning - placing more than 300 calls within the first day and faxing more than 850 TV station press releases within the first 48 hours of the campaign.
The day the story broke, NBC literally couldn't wait to get the tape so it sent an employee to Simon's office to fetch it.
Now, in its second month of coverage, the Viagra story still is grabbing nationwide headlines.
The VNR coverage has gone from showing overall Viagra case histories to getting more technical with lab shots that include local urologist perspectives.
For a VNR project of this magnitude, the production budget ranges from $17,000 for $30,000, according to Simon. (D S Simon, Doug Simon, 212/727-7770)