Havas to help brands with Ozempic and weight loss marketing strategies

The rise of Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss is expected to have lasting effects on a range of categories, including food, health insurance and fitness. Havas Health Network is trying to help marketers navigate the potential branding upheaval with a new consultancy meant to advise brands on strategies for the GLP-1 shift. The GLP-1 market is expected to reach around 31.5 million U.S. consumers by 2035, according to a Morgan Stanley report recently cited by CNBC. “We believe that this is going to have such a shift culturally and economically, almost more than AI if you think about all the surrounding effects,” said Donna Murphy, global CEO, Havas Creative and Health Networks, noting expected affected industries such as travel and fashion. “We can really take a lean on it.” 40 under 40 entries are open The final deadline for nominations is Aug. 2 Enter here The consultancy will help brands monitor the market and predict future trends, as well as assist with marketing and branding strategies and new product development. Some brands are already responding to the GLP-1 trend. Nestlé, for instance, recently announced a new food line called Vital Pursuit that has high-protein meals meant to be “a companion for GLP-1 weight loss medication users.” But in recent months, some brands have received backlash for incorporating Ozempic into their marketing and activations, including Gopuff, which caught criticism on social media for promoting a tongue-in-cheek “Ozempic Week” promotion. The Havas group has been actively working with some consumer packaged goods clients on the trend for the last five months, Murphy said. The GLP-1 consultancy is composed of individuals from across Havas agencies, including creatives, physicians, medical anthropologists, biostatisticians and AI, CX and data experts. The team will pull in more experts from the network depending on individual client needs, Murphy said. Havas recently surveyed consumers and identified certain industries where GLP-1 users have increased spending. For example, 51% of GLP-1 users said they spend more on sneakers and exercise clothes versus 16% of non-users. Similarly, 39% of users spend more on vacations and traveling versus 17%, Havas found. “Our proposition is how to navigate this changing landscape,” said Brian Robinson, global chief strategy officer and head of growth at Havas Health. “For so long we’ve been around a cultural code of how to respect people’s body size and weight and this is going to introduce a new variable to that situation.” A recent report from Horizon Media found that Ozempic and similar drugs for weight loss are expected to upend the health insurance market as consumers change their behavior. For example, the report found that 37% of consumers interested in the drugs have considered switching insurance providers in the last 12 months, a higher percentage than the 30% of the overall population who have considered such a change. Similarly, market research firm Numerator recently took a look at changing buying behavior from consumers using the medications. The firm found that top brands among the group of users include T.J. Farms, Aqua Star and Dulcolax.

Havas to help brands with Ozempic and weight loss marketing strategies

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