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NEW YORK — Today, market research firm BrandSpark International, in partnership with Newsweek Magazine, released its highly anticipated second annual BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards (“BMTPhA”) for over-the-counter (“OTC”) consumer product brands. This list marks an important continuation of the BrandSpark Trust Study with this respected professional group, which influences the purchase decisions of millions of Americans. “BrandSpark is proud to collaborate with American Pharmacists, who play a key role in guiding the public when it comes to purchasing OTC products,” said Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark. “Pharmacists’ influence will continue to grow as they play an increasingly prominent role in public health,” Levy continued. Consumers can reference this list and look for BrandSpark’s instantly recognizable purple seal when they want to make better-informed OTC purchases.
BrandSpark International conducted the independent Most Trusted by Pharmacists Survey(the “survey”) by identifying key over-the-counter categories where trust is important to consumers as they seek to treat or prevent many common ailments. In the second annual survey, the BMTPhA program examined 71 categories across the following product segments: Cough, Cold, & Allergy, Diagnostics, Ears and Eyes, Family Planning, First Aid, Gastrointestinal, Oral Care, Pain & Inflammation, Pediatrics, Supplements, Topicals, Women’s Health, and Other. Survey responses were provided by US Registered Healthcare Professionals actively practicing and licensed to provide OTC recommendations.
According to the BrandSpark American Shopper Study (the “BASS”), Americans have the greatest trust in recommendations from friends and family, ratings & reviews, and consumer-voted awards, but in OTC health categories, recommendations from pharmacists and doctors are most trusted. 72% say that pharmacist recommendations are very or fairly influential to their OTC purchases. “We wanted to delve deeper into a segment where which brands that experts trust most really matters to consumers,” said Levy. 70% of consumers believe that research and development is constantly leading to better over-the-counter health products and 56% say they will “spend a lot” to get health products that they know will work, but they need help identifying which brands are most worthy of their money and trust as just 1 in 4 consider themselves something of an expert on health products.
The BASS also reveals that while mass merchants and drug store chains are the leading OTC health channels, shopped regularly by 74% and 61% of American shoppers respectively, 34% regularly purchase OTC products online. “Consumers do not always have a pharmacist to consult, like when they’re shopping online, but they should be able to know which brands pharmacists trust the most,” said Levy. Further, as shoppers increasingly look to get the most value for their money, leading OTC brands need to reinforce the quality and reliability they provide; 26% of OTC shoppers say they generally buy ‘whichever product is offering the best price’, well ahead of just 15% who do the same in personal care & beauty.
4 Notable Winners from the 2023 BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards:
- Procter & Gamble’s Vapor Therapy, Vick’s Vapo, earned an impressive 96% trust share, the highest of any winning brand on the BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists list.
- Pain relief brand Excedrin broke its 2022 tie with Tylenol for Rapid Headache Relief (previously Headache Relief), indicating evolving trust in the category and an opportunity for other brands to gain trust share.
- Similasan earned three 1st rank wins in the survey, the most of any brand, across Children and Adult Earache Relief, and Eye Drops for Pink Eye.
- Laxative brand Dulcolax overtook MiraLAX for Most Trusted Laxative brand. The two brands tied in 2022 and are still only separated by 5%, indicating a possibility for more movement in the category.
The 2023 BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards winners are listed at www.BrandSparkMostTrusted.com
