• by Les Luchter , January 28, 2025

“Obesity is America’s greatest epidemic,” declares Hims & Hers’ first ever Super Bowl commercial, unveiled Tuesday. “Seventy-four percent of us are overweight, and obesity leads to half a million deaths each year.”

Calling weight loss a $160 billion industry “that feeds on our failure,” the telehealth company’s spot decries medications from others as “priced for profits, not patients,” while its own weight-loss drugs are “affordable,” and “doctor trusted.”

Using the Super Bowl to advertise weight loss drugs makes sense, per Toby Katcher, senior vice president, video investment, at WPP healthcare agency CMI Media Group, which is not involved with Hims & Hers.

Katcher tells Marketing Daily  the placement represents “a unique chance to increase brand recognition and visibility” for weight-loss drugs “during a time when viewers tend to be gluttonous, leaving many feeling guilty the next day.”

“With over 100 million viewers, the Super Bowl ensures widespread exposure and elevates the brand to the forefront of popular culture and current discourse,” Katcher continues, “successfully bringing the brand’s message to a wide range of demographics, including high-potential patients.”

Katcher’s comments are backed by a brand-new new study from CMI titled “Media Vitals 2025: Focus on Obesity,” which found TV overall lagging behind only Facebook as a vehicle to reach patients with obesity.

However, the study found, only 12% of patients would “most prefer” using telehealth services (like Hims & Hers) to get their medicines, versus 72% preferring in-person visits to healthcare providers (HCPs).

As a result, said Ari Wexler, CMI’ssenior vice president, engagement Strategy, “brand marketers who best execute integrated, empathetic content strategies to bridge pre- and post HCP appointment patient support will be most successful.”

The CMI study also found that 27% of the patients are asking their doctors about specific medications they see in ads, with Katcher pointing out that “pharmaceutical brands have a significant opportunity to create informative and trusted video content that patients can access through their preferred platforms.”

Hims & Hers’ focus on cost in the Super Bowl spot may be a factor in its favor, per another new study, this one from WHY Group, Horizon Media’s cultural intelligence division.

Titled “Injecting Change: What’s Lost and Gained Beyond Weight in the Age of Ozempic,” this study identified insurance and cost as “the top two barriers standing in the way “of people expressing interest in weight loss drugs but not yet using them.”

The study found 58% of adults are at least somewhat interested in taking these medications, and that changes in coverage and cost could unleash “a high level of pent-up demand,” which would potentially “at least double the 9% of the population who are currently on the drugs.”

But the Horizon study mainly focuses on the effect of weight loss drugs on those other than the users themselves.

“For every person taking these revolutionary weight loss drugs, at least one additional person in their immediate circle is experiencing significant lifestyle changes,” the report states, “from transformed eating habits to reimagined social gatherings. 

The Horizon study found that 70% of people who share meals with GLP-1 users” have inadvertently adopted healthier eating habits themselves,” with partners reporting that, “simply by proximity,” they eat smaller portions (65%), choose more nutrient-dense foods (58%), and drink less alcohol (45%).

The report includes recommendations for how brands can support GLP-1 users all throughout the year:

“Restaurants can create nutrient-dense, smaller-portioned meals.”

“Companies can host activity-based events or virtual gatherings that shift the focus from food-centric traditions to experiences rooted in connection.”

“Brands can promote functional wellness products, from supplements to fitness programs, as thoughtful gifts for health-conscious individuals.”

The Horizon study was based on an August survey of 1,500 people, and the CMI study was based on a March/April survey of 3,000 people.

“You deserve to feel great in your body,” concludes the Hims & Hers’Super Bowl spot. “This is the future of healthcare."