The pharmaceutical industry has never been accused of understatement, but even by its standards, the weight-loss drug market has become a phenomenon of unusual cultural velocity — the kind of thing that gets discussed at dinner parties, dissected on podcasts, and, not incidentally, advertised heavily on television.
Now Omnicom has won the assignment to handle United States media planning and buying for Novo Nordisk, the Danish company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, two medications that have become as familiar to American consumers as any soft drink or automobile brand. The global account is valued at $618 million, with the domestic portion accounting for $520 million of that total, according to data from COMvergence.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk confirmed the appointment to Adweek, saying the company looked forward to working with the Omnicom team "as we continue to scale consumer-focused strategies and connect with patients through emerging channels and technologies."
(One imagines the emerging channels in question will include a great many streaming ad breaks and sponsored search results, though the spokesperson did not elaborate.)
The win represents a significant addition to Omnicom's pharmaceutical portfolio at a moment when the holding company, led by John Wren, is working to complete its proposed merger with Interpublic Group — a combination that, if approved, would create the largest advertising organization in the world by revenue. Adding a half-billion-dollar piece of business from one of the most talked-about drug makers on the planet is unlikely to hurt the narrative.
For Novo Nordisk, the move reflects the reality that consumer-facing pharmaceutical marketing has become less a matter of reaching patients through their doctors and more a matter of reaching them directly, repeatedly, across every screen they own. The company said it hoped to bring "even greater awareness" of its medicines to people living with obesity and diabetes.
Greater awareness, in this case, seems well on its way.
Original story published in adweek.com: "Omnicom Wins U.S. Media Account for Ozempic and Wegovy Maker Novo Nordisk"