Gopuff’s ‘Ozempic Week’ campaign draws backlash on social media

Delivery app Gopuff is facing social media criticism for its latest marketing stunt, which leans on the hype around Ozempic to sell more snacks. The app on Tuesday sent a mobile push notification alerting some users to “get summer ready, save money and shed pounds” during its promotional “Ozempic Week,” using a tongue-in-cheek marketing play on the diabetes drug, often used off-label for weight loss, to sell low-calorie snack foods. Another Gopuff promo also looked like an ad for Ozempic, showing an out-of-stock item for the shot, and included a hashtag for “healthy” and a description that reads “Ozempic not included.” The product’s description then touts the firm’s delivery services and discounts on groceries, “no injections needed.” GoPuff and Novo Nordisk A/S, the company that makes Ozempic, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The marketing push has drawn criticism and confusion on social media platforms overnight, with one user calling it disgraceful and another asking, “Why are we encouraging your customers to lose weight when we should be practicing body acceptance/positivity/neutrality?” Others appear to be confused by the marketing, prompting one user to ask: “Gopuff did you just offer me drugs?” Gopuff has been trying to drum up sales after post-pandemic habits have brought more consumers back to stores, slashing its valuation and forcing the company to conduct multiple rounds of layoffs to preserve cash. Earlier in April, it introduced a 20-minute delivery option for its paid members at an extra fee per order to drive growth. The bid to drum up business may backfire. It’s the latest controversial ad campaign to surface in recent days. Bumble’s anti-celibacy billboards and Apple’s commercial of a bunch of artists’ tools getting crushed into an iPad both caught a lot of heat and ended up getting pulled. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here The excitement around obesity drugs have reached a fever pitch in pop culture. But manufacturers of the medications have struggled to educate the public on the difference between Ozempic, which is specifically made for patients with diabetes, and drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, made by Novo and Eli Lilly Co. to treat weight loss. Ozempic is not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss, and Novo and Lilly have both pushed back on use of drugs such as Ozempic outside of their FDA-approved indications or for cosmetic use. That hasn’t stopped a new crop of telemedicine companies and social media influencers who advertise prescription and weight-loss programs that promise access to Ozempic and Wegovy. TikTok, where many users had taken to for advice on using the drug, is cracking down on videos marketing weight-loss products and content that promotes “potentially harmful” weight management behaviors. —Bloomberg News Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

Gopuff’s ‘Ozempic Week’ campaign draws backlash on social media

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