The data: TV ad spending on over-the-counter (OTC) medications fell 14% YoY to $168 million in October, even as category leader Vicks increased spending 69%, per iSpot data shared with EMARKETER. Despite the monthly decline, OTC TV spending was still up 3.9% YoY through the first 10 months of 2026, per iSpot.

Why it matters: OTC brands took different approaches to TV advertising in October amid an unusually early start to cold and flu season.

Vicks accounted for more than one-third of October's OTC TV spending, as other major cold and flu brands pulled back. Mucinex remained the second-largest OTC TV advertiser despite cutting spending 65% YoY, and Alka-Seltzer Cold and Flu reduced spending 79%. Vicks has also put a growing share of its TV budget on CBS, ABC, and NBC: 47% so far this year, up from 44% in 2025, per an iSpot analyst.

Cold and flu season arrived early this year, and at least one Vicks rival is already responding. Flu activity began about seven weeks earlier than in 2024 and 2025, per Epic Research. Mucinex parent Reckitt said on its lQ3 earnings call in late October that cold and flu cases were running ahead of expectations and that it was ramping up advertising for its new Mucinex 12HR Cold and Fever product.

Implications for OTC marketers: An early cold and flu season could put OTC brands that cut back on TV advertising at a disadvantage.

Demand is already climbing: Walgreens reported double-digit YoY sales growth in October for cold and flu medications, cough drops, and tea. We expect more OTC brands to ramp up TV advertising in November and December to meet seasonal demand and hold visibility against competitors like Vicks. Brands that need to make up ground should use lower-cost news and daytime programming to expand TV reach more efficiently.

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