It's difficult to go anywhere these days without seeing ads for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatments. Ever since retired senator Bob Dole began touting the benefits of Viagra, Americans can't seem to get away from ED drugs and their innuendo-laden commercials.

While leading oral treatments of ED, such as Viagra and Levitra, are marketed by pharmaceutical powerhouses, new-kid-on-the-block Cialis is marketed through a joint venture of small biotech firm ICOS Corp and global pharmaceutical Eli Lilly. Due to limited resources and a small advertising budget, ICOS relies heavily on integrated marketing efforts to compete against the larger pharmaceutical companies in the industry, utilizing a mixture of ads, sponsorships, and clinical-study press releases to get out its message.

What is ICOS' message? The Washington-based company has developed the first erectile dysfunction treatment that gives partners up to 36 hours to choose the intimate moment that's right for them--that's a sizable advantage over the five-hour effectiveness of the other pills. The Cialis treatment has fewer side effects as well.

The message appears to be reaching the intended audience, for after only three months on the U.S. market, Cialis has captured a significant share of new sales and prescriptions, beating Levitra and further eroding share of the U.S. market from Viagra.

(May, 2004)