GLP-1 draws pharma advertisers to double down on the Super Bowl

Hims & Hers, for example, is set to return to the Super Bowl after making its debut there last year. “It’s eyeballs, pure scale. It’s a stage to get your message out there,” said Dan Kenger, the brand’s chief design officer.

Hims & Hers has also bought inventory during coverage of the Winter Olympics, as well as spending on creator activity, Amazon Prime, Hulu and YouTube throughout February. Kenger declined to share details of the company’s media budget.

He explained that the company’s SB spot is intended to position it as a “more than just another weight loss business” with a message emphasizing the service as a solution to healthcare inequality in the United States. “We’re a lifestyle brand,” he said.

Kennedy’s suggestions last year that the U.S. government could move to ban pharmaceutical ads shook the industry, but his proclamations on nutrition and food quality have spurred a national debate, Kenger added. 

“There’s this huge conversation going on in the United States right now around this space of health as a luxury, health as an aspirational goal. And part of that mix is pharmaceuticals,” said Gartner analyst Nicole Greene.

For a healthcare brand attempting to appeal based on emotion rather than product, there’s few better stages than the Super Bowl. “Traditionally a lot of pharma messaging is drug specific,” said Kenger. “We want to [use] a message that’s a little bit bigger and a little bit more emotionally resonant.”

And while NBC’s $8 million floor price for this year’s Big Game means it’s a decision that’s weighed heavily by some marketers, pharma advertisers are already big TV spenders – and a costly 30- or 60-second spot is just another outlay.

Pharma brands spent $5.96 billion on national TV advertising last year, up 16% year on year, according to iSpot. “They can afford it,” said Greene. And the retreat of traditional big spenders like the auto sector “has made way for other categories to come into the conversation,” she added.

“Super Bowl is a big leap. But for a pharmaceutical that might spend $500 million a year, it’s a small percentage to take a pretty strong risk on,” said one holding company media buyer, who asked to speak anonymously due to the sensitivities of their agency’s pharmaceutical clients.

What they don’t have in spades is brand differentiation. Mike Doustdar, the chief exec of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, partially blamed rising competition for weight loss medication for the company’s lower than expected 2026 sales projections. The firm netted 309 billion Danish kroner ($48.8 billion) last year — a 10% year-on-year increase — but expects sales to fall 5-13% this year as it navigates a more competitive market.

“The marketplace is so competitive,” said another media buyer who exchanged candor for anonymity. “Between Ro, Hims & Hers, Lily and Novo Nordisk, they’re all fighting for that share of voice. So, you’ve got to fish where the fish are biting.”

Noted Greene: “What better way to drive brand awareness, trust and credibility?”