Obesity: Pharma company draws fire for 'weird' campaign

US multinational pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is taking strong flak over this campaign, which is showing up on screens during American football games. It's garnering unfavourable comments for 'weird' delivery, a thinly veiled profits-first message, and a confused / confusing approach to its own customers because of its depressing tone. The brand is a global player in the fiercely competitive and volatile weight-loss drugs market, along with well-known names like Ozempic and Wegovy. "GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., Semaglutide, Tirzepatide) are highly effective, mostly injectable medications initially developed for type 2 diabetes that significantly aid in weight loss," explains Google Overview AI. Their uptake by celebrities and members of the general public wanting to shed weight spawned a flourishing trade in copycat drugs, and a massive upswing in profits for the manufacturers. Emerging studies on their long-term safety or effectiveness are very much in the headlines at the moment. As Lilly says of this ad: "Obesity is about far more than a number on a scale. We believe in shifting conversations away from stigma to focus on what really matters: health". While most would agree that healthcare / concern is much more important than stigma or 'fat-shaming', and many find its robust 'none of your business' approach refreshing, responses to this campaign also call out the distastefulness of its isolating potential, and the implication by a drug company that obesity or extreme overweight is a medical rather than a more nuanced issue. What's your response?

Keywords: Eli Lilly 'My Focus', overweight drugs, weight-loss drugs 2026, obesity medication, GLP-1 receptor industry, Wieden+Kennedy Portland