Rise of a lifestyle drug: weight loss jabs will force more than just food brands to pivot

“It was initially a US phenomenon,” says Chloé Depiesse, managing director at Havas and head of its GLP-1 consultancy. “But it’s clearly becoming more global.”

Disrupting every sector

Ad network Havas launched its consultancy service last year in response to disruptive innovations in health and wellness, particularly the rise of GLP-1 medications. At the time, the agency projected the GLP-1 market would grow to an estimated 31.5 million users by 2035.

Depiesse notes that the firm was early in “identifying the magnitude of disruption” these drugs would bring. What Havas is witnessing, and what clients need to recognize, is that this is “far more” than a healthcare or weight loss conversation. The ripple effects extend well beyond expected sectors like food and beverage, reaching into tourism, fashion, luxury, beauty and tech.

Publicis Luxe is also preparing its clients. Deputy managing director and head of planning Deborah Marino told The Drum that it is not the “letters AI or GPT” that are the “real revolution” in adland, but instead it is “GLP”.

When people use GLP-1 medications for weight loss, their appetite typically decreases, leading to changes in the quantity and type of food they consume. That much is expected and widely studied. But what is especially compelling is how these behavioral shifts are beginning to influence broader lifestyle choices and consumer patterns across multiple sectors. This, in turn, could potentially have a profound impact on how brands, and not just those in the pharmaceutical space, need to future-proof themselves.

“It’s created this new addressable audience that can be interesting and promising from a business standpoint, for some categories, or create a value creation mindset,” continues Depiesse. “A new portfolio, a new product could be created to tailor to the new needs of GLP-1 users. But for some others, they’re in a risk mitigation mindset. This is a scary disruption. I’m thinking about categories like the beverage industry, which initially are more fearful of what it can create.”

Depiesse says Havas’s in-house team isn’t just about ad campaigns; it helps brands navigate change, manage risk, and rethink their business models. For hesitant companies, the team aims to turn uncertainty into momentum. While it’s worked with some pharma players, especially on GLP-1 go-to-market plans, its focus extends well beyond healthcare.

Much of its energy goes to fast-moving consumer sectors like food and drink, beauty, and fitness. Depiesse notes that a recent talk at a major fitness event in Germany sparked an apparent uptick in client interest in that space. When asked which pharma companies it’s working with on GLP-1 strategies, she declines to name names.

At Publicis Luxe, it’s a similar story. Marino says L’Oréal, for example, is starting to connect the dots. “Every brand, especially in luxury, is going to get involved in the mutation of people,” she states.

Creative impact and regulatory constraints

Advertising regulations vary widely by country. In the UK, they are especially strict for prescription-only medicines (POMs). At the start of July, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that brands, particularly pharmacies, are banned from directly or indirectly promoting weight-loss prescription drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic. Even phrases such as “Weight Loss Injections” or “GLP-1,” as well as related imagery like pens or vials, are prohibited, even if the drug name is not mentioned.

In the US, advertising is governed by industry self-regulation, consumer protection groups, and government agencies, such as the FTC, and brand names can be used in POM advertising.

“GLP-1s by themselves aren’t any different than any regulated pharma drug that we would advertise to consumers, and we do scores of those,” explains Havas Health’s global chief creative officer Eric Weisberg. “Where things differ is the audience for GLP-1s is one that continues to evolve, and those brands are behaving more like consumer brands, particularly the way that consumers relate with them, the way they want to interact with them, the way they treat them as part of the healthier lifestyle.”

“They have this cascading effect, both functionally and emotionally, with basically, a much wider range of things that you do in your life,” he continues. “And so, it has changed the way that we market them.”

Advertising the full picture

Given the advertising restrictions in many countries, it may seem difficult to communicate the full breadth of GLP-1 medications in campaigns.

“Culture and society are building a story around GLP-1s and their benefits,” says Weisberg. “The destigmatization of people on these, a lot of that is being handled by society, by influencers, by celebrities. Sometimes, healthcare companies are responsible for building the market and building the destigmatization of disease and the barriers of entry to that. In a lot of ways, that’s being handled by society in general. And so the trust of the products and the destigmatization of going on them is happening at a societal level, not the brand level.”

Havas’s medical anthropology group practice lead, Jennifer Tsitsopoulos, adds that the media narrative in the UK does not reflect the reality of the GLP-1 community. “Not everyone on a GLP-1 is a celebrity. And I think while the celebrities allowed us to make it acceptable and break some social stigma, they [the media] are also making it feel like not the everyday person is on these things,” she continues. “And right now in the UK, it’s Wales that has the number one prescription for GLP-1s.”

Weisberg notes that what began as a barrier – the injection – has now become a health-affirming act. Events like “skinny jab parties” illustrate how the focus has shifted from food to community, travel and self-care, reshaping not just habits but also emotional and social lives.

The GLP-1 ‘mindset’

Currently, the messaging around GLP-1 medication focuses on weight and obesity. However, Tsitsopoulos says there is a “shift” toward unlocking the concept of GLP-1 as a “mindset.”

“It comes down more to control of your impulses than it does about how you immediately appear to the outside world,” she explains.

“We’ve been studying this community, and the number one thing on their mind is that they feel more positive about themselves and the world they live in. I can’t think of another situation right now where consumers would say they feel more positive, taking a brand, about the world that we live in.”

For Tsitsopoulos, it’s about tapping into control, the lifestyle GLP-1’s support, and the idea of continued happiness that goes beyond just the weekly injection, or in the future, maybe taking a pill.

Part of that mindset stems from how the medication works in the brain by quieting food noise. Havas has found that users are more open to new hobbies like gardening and reading. It even influences how people date and travel.

“People are more willing to travel to begin with, and within that, they’re looking for perhaps more physical activity,” adds Depiesse. “Some unexpected data is the report from Jeffrey’s Financial Group a while ago that was talking about how GLP-1s will likely reduce fuel consumption for companies, because obviously, with lower passenger weights, airline companies are likely to consume less fuel for each flight. So, these are the type of unexpected ripple effects or data points that we’ve seen.”

Sex, dating and dopamine

Beyond weight loss, there are less-discussed effects. “Sex, sexuality, embracing getting frisky again,” Tsitsopoulos says. “You can also imagine that having an impact on STDs.” She explains that clients often come with too narrow a focus. “We work in food, so we should be talking protein,” she says. “It’s not always what you assume it to be at first glance.”

GLP-1 medications also reduce the need for dopamine, altering the brain’s reward system. “It means that everything that is a craving habit, you don’t sense that any more,” adds Marino. “Everything that relates to pleasure is going to be less impactful. Dopamine is not going to be driving your life any more.” This could even affect how people engage with dating apps like Tinder and Bumble.

Rewriting cultural norms

Last year, Havas conducted a study on Santa. “Santa is now skinny in most advertising,” Tsitsopoulos observes. “And how does that change our relationship to our metaphoric icons in this world? Is there still a role for being a bit chubby? Do we no longer find chubby as funny?”

She emphasizes that the conversation should not be about size, but health. “Unfortunately, right now, GLP-1s don’t necessarily give you a healthier mindset, and that’s the untapped conversation. They don’t make you crave carrots or salad. What it does is give you the power to control your impulses. We still need to work as a society to fix our relationship with food and food systems, but that is an untapped conversation that we as brands and marketers can be doing more of.”

Weisberg believes these medications will cause pharma brands to behave more like lifestyle brands. “These brands are going to start to be positioned more like lifestyle brands and will look more similar, I think, to the gyms you choose, the different cars you choose, and the clothing brands you bring into your life. And those brands are going to have meaning that most healthcare products heretofore didn’t need to have.”

“In 2025 and onwards, every brand needs a GLP-1 strategy,” says Depiesse. “It’s no longer something superficial.”