Benadryl, ZzzQuil, and Wal-Dryl

One interesting example of OTC drug marketing I have noticed is the success of ZzzQuil. ZzzQuil comes in multiple forms including syrups and liquid-gel capsules, but the active ingredient is diphenhydramine HCl, more commonly known as Benadryl. ZzzQuil was released by Proctor & Gamble (P&G) in 2012 per this press release. ZzzQuil is marketed exclusively as a non habit-forming sleep-aid and P&G claims it is the best selling sleep-aid brand.

Diphenhydramine is a first-generation antihistamine. The drug reduces histamine levels throughout the body. As a first-generation antihistamine, the drug can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect the nervous system. Histamine regulates the allergic response in the body and is involved in promoting wakefulness in the CNS. The ability for diphenhydramine to cross the blood-brain barrier means that the drug reduces histamine levels in the brain, causing decreased alertness and the feeling of sleepiness. The newer antihistamines (second and third generation) have been reformulated to minimize CNS effects and do not cause drowsiness.

Diphenhydramine is hardly as new as ZzzQuil. It was discovered in 1946 by a former professor and became the first FDA approved antihistimine that year. So for over 70 years, the sleep-inducing properties of diphenhydramine have been known.

The marketing messaging is interesting because it is so segmented. The American consumer must be particularly fixated on the idea that a pill should treat a single condition. Benadryl and Wal-Dryl are marketed as allergy medications. ZzzQuil is marketed as being exclusively for sleep. I sincerely doubt that the average consumer is aware that these products are all really the same thing. The consumer probably doesn't even know what diphenhydramine is, but almost everyone recognizes Benadryl and ZzzQuil and knows what they are for. To me, this implies that medicine and pharmacy are seen as so complex by the average person (and they are very complex) that even reading the name of a chemical in a drug they are taking should only be left to doctors. Letting the marketing messaging of "Take this one to go to sleep and this other one to stop itching" is much less daunting than actually understanding what they are taking. In the context of OTC drugs, marketing distances the consumer from the underlying reality: these are all the same thing.

Companies like P&G have caught on to the value that consumers place in specificity of messaging through their branding. Benadryl, Wal-Dryl, and ZzzQuil all come in liquid cap forms and all of them have the same 25 mg dosage of diphenhydramine in every pill. The difference is that ZzzQuil costs 200% more per pill than Wal-Dryl on the Walgreens website. Consumers are clearly more willing to pay for something that promises them a restful night than stopping their itching. From P&G's perspective, this is free money to be had.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine#cite_note-BC-63

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histamine