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Fighting colds and headaches is big business*
Spending for drugs and health aids is digested from 1959 survey of U.S. drug store sales by marketing research dept. of DRUG TOPICS. Only items have been excerpted which seem pertinent to "winter ailments." Important to note that classifications include prescription sales along with proprietary items.
(ADD 000 TO ALL DOLLAR FIGURES)
Civilian Spending in % of
spending in drug stores total Products all outlets only store
PRESCRIPTIONS
$2,058,960 $2,017,780
27.84
PACKAGED MEDICATION
$1,635,660 $1,094,400
15.10
Vitamin concentrates
$341220 i
! 253,860
}.5v
94,180
93,050
i. la
Others
247,040
160,810
2.22
uougn oc com items
) 21/ ,15U
y.UU
flrnrir IniBnffn^ rt ■ I m r~ t r r» li ri o
a a a art
Cough drops _
b,U4U
.Uo
Lozenges, troches
"7 OQfl
/,oyu
.11
Gums .
2,140
i 1 on l,loU
no
76,100
59,850
.00
27,250
19,050
oc
.60
65,090
41,130
.3/
Antihistamines
32,400
29,840
.41
Nose drops, sprays, inhalants
"44,560
36,900
.51
Nose drops ,
20,260
16,460
.23
Nasal sprays _ , „
20,000
16,410
.23
All other inhalants
4,300
4,030
.05
All other
19,550
15,270
.21
Laxatives
$152,860 I
t 99?30
1.38
Tablets, pills, gums, lozenges
38,940
18,050
.25
Milk of magnesia liquids
23,690
11,390
.16
All other
90,230
70,490
Internal analgesics
$332,670 J
J 1 53,160
2.11
Aspirin
68,880
29,330
.40
Baby aspirin _ _„„
5,480
4,710
.06
All other aspirin , _
63,400
24,620
.34
Aspirin-salicylate compounds
213,580
88,420
1.22
Effervescent
60,650
27,840
.38
Non-effenrescent
152,930
60,580
.84
Arthritic pain relievers
24,890
23,000
.32
25,320
12,410
.17
External analgesics
# 90,220 $ 56,770
.78
Salves, ointments, balms
39,650
28,040
.39
liniments & other liquids
21,210
10,660
.15
Rubbing alcohol
23,320
13,450
.18
All other
6,040
4,620
.06
Antacids
# 56J30 $ 28,090
.39
Tablets, pills, gums, lozenges
23,690
10,980
.15
7,260
4,300
.06
17,500
8,520
.12
8,080
4,290
.06
Other medication
Lip protectors
3,560
2,500
.03
•Drug Topics.
figured id be ai peak volume. Bui
vvcathci conditions ;incl epidemics don't always abide by a timetable. The smart advertiser will be in for the whole six-month period, and ready to fatten schedules oil short notice. Cold remedy manufacturers and their admen follow winter conditions carefully; the Asiatic flu epidemic: a few years ago set off a real scramble to get on the radio bandwagon. Generally, proprietary drug hillings on radio in winter increase two to five times over summer.
Q. When are cold remedy sales at their peak?
A. The Nielsen Drug Index-based chart on page 00 shows when retail sales are highest in the cold remedy field. Yet within this six-month span, many unpredic table things can happen. A long Indian summer in the autumn can lower the incidence of colds and depress the sale of cold medicines. By the same token, a bitter cold spell in February with nearzero temperatures, crisp days and clear nights also tends to cut down the cold remedy market. People don't catch colds in extremely cold, bracing weather.
The "ideal" conditions for catching cold are freezing temperature, sleet, fog, and plenty of slush underfoot. This is what the cold remedy advertiser must be ready for all winter long, and radio is ideal for his purposes because of the flexibility it offers for copy-switching and schedule-fattening.
Q. Who uses cold remedies and other proprietary medicines?
A. Just about everyone. If you get through the next year without catching at least one cold, then you are simply shot through with luck, since it is estimated that the average dweller in the U. S. suffers between two and three colds annually.
An article in the National Education Association Journal once put the incidence of the common cold in the U. S. at more than 400 million a year. More than an estimate on the present incidence of the common cold (or coryza) is impossible. Not only is the common cold still a mystery to science, but statisticians can't
U. S. RADIO/July 1961
19