Weight-loss drugs to compete on biggest stage with Super Bowl ads

Companies looking to sell weight-loss drugs directly to consumers, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, will shell out millions of dollars for celebrity-filled ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl with its promise of one of the year’s largest global audiences. Novo’s 90-second spot has comedian andSNLstalwart Kenan Thompson announcing the new Wegovy pill to America and suggesting, tongue-in-cheek along with music producer DJ Khaled, that people with obesity can benefit from the drug just like they would a pill for parallel parking or saving kittens in trees. Telehealth company Ro will bring out tennis star Serena Williams in its first Super Bowl ad, while a Hims & Hers Health commercial features a voiceover by rapper Common with the tag line “Rich People Live Longer”.

The US healthcare system offers wealthy Americans luxury therapies that allow them to “live longer”, Common says over scenes of wealthy people receiving a variety of exotic, likely highly expensive treatments before describing how Hims’ offerings can democratise health care for all consumers. The advertising blitz reflects the broader shift towards direct-to-consumer marketing with the launch of new pill versions of the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, industry experts and analysts say. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly have been fighting for market share as millions of Americans turned to the highly effective injectable GLP-1 drugs.

Novo just launched its Wegovy pill and Lilly’s oral weight-loss offering is expected to be approved in April. Lilly plans to advertise Zepbound during NBC’s pre-game show as well as during the game on its Peacock streaming service, a spokesperson said. “The Super Bowl is one of the best channels to connect with millions of consumers,” said Kevin Gade, COO at Bahl & Gaynor, which owns Lilly shares.

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He noted that the Super Bowl is the rare event where consumers actively seek out the TV ads, which place a premium on creativity and often humour that can generate outsized buzz. Ads during this year’s 60th Super Bowl, in which the Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots, cost up to $10m (R160.45m) for a 30-second spot, according to Adweek. About 130-million people are expected to watch the game on Sunday, according to Nielsen projections.

NBC has said advertising slots for its Peacock streaming service cost roughly half as much as those shown on its traditional broadcast network. High-visibility advertising will become a mainstay as more companies pursue a direct-to-consumer sales model and increased pricing pressure makes the weight-loss pill more affordable, drawing in new customers, said Michael Shnoe, a consumer health expert at consultancy West Monroe.

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