Cosmetic use of powerful GLP-1 weight loss medicines has become an open secret in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel even joked about the audience being on Ozempic while hosting last year’s Oscars. While some may think creating any kind of demand for these medicines would be the goal of big Pharma - Lilly,  A Medicine Company, has a different take. Because Lilly is focused on putting health above all, we want to make sure that Lilly’s GLP-1 medicines reach the patients they were designed for, rather than those trying to “improve” their look.

 

To do this, Lilly surrounded Hollywood’s “Biggest Night” with messaging that explicitly states that weight loss medicines are not for the red carpet, but for health. The message was placed wherever Oscar’s conversations about vanity could be found. The ad launched during the E! Live From the Red Carpet show and was placed in YouTube pre-roll, Buzzfeed takeovers, and on social platforms around Oscar recap content. A print execution ran in People Magazine’s wrapup, and digital OOH infiltrated the news-cycle on Monday morning in NYC.

 

The ad was covered by all four major morning news shows ahead of the Oscars. The message was reposted, reviewed, reacted to, and praised in online weight loss circles across all social platforms, some of whom thanked Lilly for publicly stating what patients have been saying for years. The campaign led to an increase in trust in an industry where audiences are historically skeptical.

 

The message left some people perplexed as to why a medicine company would choose long term health over short term profit but received a ringing endorsement from those who matter most, the people who depend on these medicines for health. 

 

• 2.1 billion earned impressions. 

• Talked about by major news sources: The New York Times, Good Morning America, CBS News, USA Today, CNN, The Today Show and so many more.

• Part of a campaign that increased Lilly’s Brand Trust +92% for those who saw the campaign versus those who had not.

• Part of a campaign that increased Lilly’s Brand Favorability +244% compared to pharmaceutical norms