For its first Super Bowl ad, Novo Nordisk recruited celebrities Kenan Thompson, DJ Khaled, Danielle Brooks, Ana Gasteyer, John C. Reilly, and Danny Trejo to let the 140 million people watching know that there’s “A New Way to Wegovy” in pill form, and they shouldn’t feel embarrassed about taking it.
The ad showed Reilly backing into a car as he admits he’d take a pill that could help him parallel park. Khaled would say ‘yes’ if a pill could turn him into a pro wrestler, and Brooks would take a pill that enabled her to rescue more kittens.
“At the Super Bowl, the whole world tunes in, so we want to be there,” Novo Nordisk marketing svp Edward Cinca told ADWEEK. “The goal is to generate as much awareness [for the pill] as we can.”
Novo’s first weight-loss pill, which costs an average of $149 a month, was approved by the FDA in December. This week, Hims & Hers announced plans to launch a cheaper $49 copycat version, prompting Novo to say it will take legal action against the compound provider.
Ro taps Serena to Banish GLP-1 Stigmas
After announcing tennis legend Serena Williams as a brand ambassador last August, direct-to-consumer healthcare company Ro—which sells GLP-1 medications including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound—tapped the athlete to front its “Healthier on Ro” Super Bowl in-game ad.
Spanning TV, paid social, and OOH takeovers in cities across the U.S., the campaign aimed to destigmatize the drug and promote its other health benefits beyond weight loss.
Saman Rahmanian, Ro’s co-founder and chief product officer, told ADWEEK that Ro enlisted Williams to “dispel the myth that taking weight loss medications is cheating.”
“We’re using the Super Bowl moment to make sure people are aware there are options—in an inspiring and memorable way,” he added.
