GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Make Super Bowl Advertising Debut Amid Shifting Health Marketing Landscape

Hims & Hers, a digital pharmacy startup, is making its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second ad highlighting its compounded GLP-1 weight loss drug offerings2.

The ad, titled "Sick of the System," critiques the $160 billion weight loss industry and positions Hims & Hers' GLP-1 drugs as an affordable alternative2.

This marks the first time a direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical company is advertising weight loss drugs during the Super Bowl, a major shift in healthcare marketing4.

The ad uses Childish Gambino's song "This Is America" and frames obesity as America's "deadliest epidemic," contributing to an estimated 500,000 deaths per year2.

Hims & Hers offers compounded GLP-1 drugs at significantly lower prices than branded versions from major pharmaceutical companies, with oral medication kits priced at $79 per month and injections at $199 per month2.

The company's decision to advertise during the Super Bowl, where 30-second slots cost around $7 million, represents an ambitious move to capitalize on the growing GLP-1 market2.

Hims & Hers' revenue increased 77% year-over-year to $401.6 million in Q3 2024, partly due to its GLP-1 offerings2.

The ad has sparked discussions about the ethics of marketing prescription weight loss drugs during such a high-profile event and the potential lack of comprehensive risk information in direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising4.

This development comes amid a broader trend of health-related companies entering the Super Bowl advertising space, with Novartis also running its first Super Bowl ad focused on breast cancer awareness5.

Sources:

2. https://www.mmm-online.com/news/hims-hers-super-bowl-ad-glp-1-weight-loss/

4. https://brandbaby.substack.com/p/issue-54-the-super-bowl-ads-on-my

5. https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/novartis-1st-super-bowl-ad-aims-create-movement-breast-cancer-awareness-blitz