The Super Bowl has become a new battleground for pharmaceutical companies marketing GLP-1 drugs, a class of medications initially developed for diabetes but now widely used for weight loss. Spending on these drugs reached $40 billion in the U.S. In and is projected to triple to $120 billion by , according to Grand View Research. This surge in demand is driving a marketing blitz, with companies shelling out upwards of $10 million for 30- and 60-second commercials during the big game.
The competition is fierce. Eli Lilly, maker of Zepbound, opted for a pre-game spot, while its primary rival, Novo Nordisk, with its Wegovy and Mounjaro offerings, secured an in-game advertisement featuring a star-studded cast including DJ Khaled and John C. Reilly. Telehealth provider Ro tapped tennis icon Serena Williams for its campaign, and Hims & Hers returned for a second year, albeit with a subtly different approach.
Novo Nordisk’s first Super Bowl ad focused on promoting the pill version of Wegovy, aiming to normalize its use and reduce the stigma associated with weight-loss medication. The ad featured celebrities admitting they would take a pill to improve everyday tasks, from parallel parking to becoming a professional wrestler. Edward Cinca, Novo Nordisk’s marketing svp, explained the strategy to ADWEEK, stating the company wanted to leverage the Super Bowl’s massive audience – approximately 140 million viewers – to generate awareness of the new formulation.
The introduction of the Wegovy pill, priced at an average of $149 per month, has already sparked a response from competitors. Hims & Hers announced plans to launch a copycat version priced at $49, prompting Novo Nordisk to signal its intention to pursue legal action against the compound provider.
Ro’s strategy involved enlisting Serena Williams to challenge the perception that using GLP-1 medications is somehow “cheating.” The company’s “Healthier on Ro” campaign, spanning television, social media, and out-of-home advertising, aims to destigmatize the drugs and highlight their broader health benefits beyond weight loss. Ro’s co-founder and chief product officer, Saman Rahmanian, told ADWEEK the company sought to use the Super Bowl to “dispel the myth” and demonstrate that there are viable options available.
Hims & Hers took a more indirect route, focusing on the disparity in health outcomes between the wealthy and the rest of the population. Their ad, featuring a voiceover by Common, bluntly stated, “Rich people live longer,” and employed surreal imagery – including surgeons seemingly tightening the skin on affluent individuals and a wealthy figure launching into space – to underscore the point. Notably, this ad did not explicitly mention GLP-1s, marking a shift from the company’s Super Bowl commercial, which heavily promoted compounded weight-loss drugs.
The approach from Hims & Hers follows a period of controversy surrounding its promotion of compounded GLP-1 drugs. These compounded versions are not approved or regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a point of contention highlighted by dominant obesity players like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. The company’s previous ad sparked debate about telehealth marketing practices and the boundaries of pharmaceutical advertising.
The increased advertising spend reflects not only the growing market for GLP-1 drugs but also a broader trend of pharmaceutical companies seeking to directly engage consumers. However, this increased visibility has also drawn criticism, particularly regarding the high cost of these medications and the potential for exacerbating healthcare affordability issues. The Super Bowl ads, while designed to raise awareness and combat stigma, have also become a focal point for discussions about access, equity, and the role of pharmaceutical marketing in a healthcare system already under strain.
Beyond the direct competition between GLP-1 manufacturers, the Super Bowl advertising also highlighted a clash between companies offering compounded drugs and established pharmaceutical giants. The Hims & Hers ad, for example, implicitly positioned compounded alternatives as a more affordable solution, a claim that has drawn scrutiny and legal threats from Novo Nordisk. This dynamic underscores the evolving landscape of the weight-loss market and the ongoing debate over the role of compounding pharmacies in providing access to potentially life-changing medications.
The success of these ads, measured by engagement metrics like those tracked by EDO, will likely influence future marketing strategies within the pharmaceutical industry. The Super Bowl has proven to be a high-stakes, high-visibility platform for reaching a massive audience, but it also comes with increased scrutiny and the potential for backlash. As the GLP-1 market continues to expand, companies will need to carefully navigate the ethical and regulatory challenges associated with promoting these powerful – and expensive – medications.
