Novo adds star-studded first Super Bowl spot to Wegovy pill’s ‘dramatic’ rollout blitz

Amid the fast-moving rollout of the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk has taken to advertising’s biggest stage to help get the word out.
After a week’s worth of social media teasers, Novo on Friday unveiled a commercial that’ll make its broadcast debut during Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, marking the Danish pharma’s first-ever Super Bowl ad.
The 90-second spot features an array of celebrities—“Saturday Night Live” stars Kenan Thompson and Ana Gasteyer, musician DJ Khaled and actors Danielle Brooks, Danny Trejo and John C. Reilly—all chosen for their “ability to connect” with audiences and their “unique and distinct styles of communication,” as Ed Cinca, Novo’s senior VP of marketing and patient solutions, told Fierce Pharma Marketing in an interview.
The commercial starts with Thompson and Khaled sharing the “big news” that Wegovy is now available in pill form, after which Thompson suggests to viewers that “if there was a pill that made other helpful things possible, you’d take it.”
A montage ensues, showing the stars wishing for pills that could improve their parallel parking skills, turn them into pro wrestlers, help them rescue more kittens and, as Gasteyer requests, make others “stop being so judgy about how to lose weight.”
That last sentiment may be particularly relatable to the ad’s target audience, per Cinca, who called it his “favorite part” of the spot.
“That, I think, really hits a chord with so many folks who are experiencing this weight loss journey,” the executive said. “It’s already so difficult to lose weight, it’s nearly impossible to keep it off, [your] body’s fighting against you—and then, all the while, the judgments that come from family and friends as part of it.”
“I hope that through this fun, irreverent tone, we can also have a serious dialogue and people can start engendering the right conversations around weight loss,” he added.
After the requisite readout of the drug’s risks and side effects, the ad ends by directing viewers to visit the Wegovy website and talk to their doctors about the pill, alongside text noting that a monthly supply of the med costs $25 for the commercially insured and—under a limited-time offer—$149 for self-paying patients.