Hims’ weight loss TV ad during the Super Bowl garners bad reviews, incites response from Novo Nordisk

The news: Hims & Hers’ Super Bowl TV ad on weight loss got ripped apart by social media users, TV critics, lawmakers, and industry groups representing drugmakers and patients.

Catch up quick: Hims’ 60-second spot criticizes the US healthcare and food systems for profiting from sick people. The commercial then pivots to promoting Hims’ weight loss medications—including compounded semaglutide (without mentioning it by name)—as an affordable alternative to brand-name GLP-1s.

Hims catches flack: Hims’ commercial was panned by viewers and critics for being hypocritical, awkward, and not adhering to prescription drug advertising rules. We break down the criticism expressed by different industry watchers:

Lawmakers and industry groups want Hims’ ad to be held to the same standards as Big Pharma’s. Hims told the Wall Street Journal that because it’s not a drugmaker, its ads don’t have to include FDA-mandated disclaimers about medication risks and side effects.

• Two US senators wrote to the FDA that the commercial exploits a regulatory loophole. They plan to introduce legislation that will require telehealth companies to comply with the same advertising regulations as pharma manufacturers.
• This sentiment has been echoed by associations such as The Partnership for Safe Medicines and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Both groups believe that Hims’ ad violates FDA rules.

TV critics say the ad’s messaging was unclear. The New York Times ranked Hims’ ad dead last among new, national ads shown throughout the game. Its review noted that going on the offensive against Big Pharma while endorsing its own drugs and treatments was “confusing, unsettling and unconvincing.” USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter ranked Hims’ spot 49th out of the 57 it measured with a rating of 2.51/5.

Social media users and marketers called out the ad for its double standard. One post on X that received thousands of likes called the ad “the most anti-America Super Bowl ad,” stating that Hims feigns sympathy for patients while pushing non-FDA-approved weight loss drugs.

Novo Nordisk delivers a counter punch: The maker of Ozempic and Wegovy is motivated to elbow compounded GLP-1 sellers like Hims out of the market. The pharma giant ran print ads in the New York Times and USA Today on the morning after the Super Bowl cautioning consumers against compounded GLP-1 drugs. Novo also called Hims’ ad irresponsible and misleading in a statement to Ad Age.

Our take: Hims took a risk by delivering a message that didn’t sit well with the masses. But considering the Super Bowl’s 126 million US viewers, it’s a gamble that we think will pay off despite the public backlash.

Already, there are reports of online searches for the company surging following the commercial, along with downloads of its app and overall media coverage of the ad. Going forward, Hims—and other marketers in the telehealth+ prescription drug space—will want to closely monitor how FDA enforcement of ads in this regulatory gray area changes.