Pats ink Levitra marketing deal
Impotence drugs turning to sports in battle for sales
By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff, 9/12/2003

The New England Patriots yesterday unveiled a marketing agreement with the makers of the erectile dysfunction drug Levitra, the latest example of how rival manufacturers in the male sexual impotence market are scrambling to associate themselves with professional sports, broaching a sensitive subject through a macho medium.

The three-year agreement calls for Levitra's burning flame logo to flash on electronic signs ringing the inside of Gillette Stadium and on giant replay screens that loom above the field. The deal also will bring a jumbo image of Levitra spokesman Mike Ditka to the stadium, in a 30-second promotional spot for men's health.

Will Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears in 1986 when they thrashed the Patriots in the Super Bowl, be booed as he opens up about his personal erectile problems? The Patriots want to avoid any negativity.

"We'll be screening it," said team spokesman Stacey James. "If they're referring to his biggest games and biggest conquests, I don't think we'll be airing that."

The sponsorship deal is a spinoff of a $20 million package secured with the National Football League by Levitra manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer AG. Having just won Food and Drug Administration approval last month, Glaxo and Bayer are rapidly trying to make up ground on Viagra, Pfizer's blockbuster impotence treatment that has a five-year head start.

Sports is now the primary platform for the marketing of drugs that treat erectile dysfunction. Pfizer phased out its previous Viagra spokesman, former Republican Senator Bob Dole, and is going after the middle-aged demographic as a sponsor of Major League Baseball. Its spokesman is Texas Rangers slugger Rafael Palmeiro, who has hit more than 500 career home runs. Pfizer also sponsors a Viagra car on the NASCAR racing circuit.

"Sports is really a great way to reach men with this condition of erection problems," said Janice Lipsky, Pfizer's US team leader for Viagra. "Men feel passionate about their sports, and it's a nice way to educate people while they are feeling comfortable."

The name of a third impotence drug that is marketed abroad and has applied for US approval, Cialis, manufactered by Eli Lilly and Co., graced a racing yacht in the America's Cup.

The Levitra team believes it scored a coup by signing up the NFL. "If you're trying to reach men, you want to go after them where they are -- and 100 million men are watching football every week," said Michael Fleming, a spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline. "We want to make sure men are aware of this new option."

In addition to exclusive league sponsorship, the Levitra makers have cut individual deals with a number of teams, including the Patriots, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars. At the Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday, a Levitra sign appeared above the locker-room tunnel as the team ran onto the field. The Levitra deals mark the first time the NFL has allowed a prescription drug to join its marketing mix of cars, beer, and fast food. To make it happen, the league had to reverse a long-standing ban on pharmaceutical involvement with pro football, said league spokesman Brian McCarthy.

"We had concerns as it related to advertising claims by pharmaceutical companies," he said. "However, we understand that this category is one of the most heavily regulated industries, and we've been increasingly more comfortable over the past few years." McCarthy would not confirm the $20 million figure for the Levitra deal, which was reported by Advertising Age magazine.

Pfizer executives are confident they can maintain strong sales in the face of Levitra's alliance with football. Lipsky pointed out that the NASCAR season is the longest of any professional sport, lasting from February through November. And the Viagra marketing team is already winding up its pitch for fall baseball: "The playoffs are happening soon," she said.

Christopher Rowland can be reached at crowland@globe.com.

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