What is going on?
Starting July 26, Ozempic is among the sponsors of the broadcast of the Paris Olympic Games on Radio-Canada, along with other companies such as Petro-Canada, Tanguay, RBC, Hydro-Québec and Toyota. The decision caused a strong reaction from viewers on social networks, with some calling the event the “Ozempic Games”. Ozembic, a drug from Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, indicated in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, gained popularity after being touted by influencers as an appetite suppressant. The same drug is approved by Health Canada for weight loss under the name Wegovy in patients clinically diagnosed with obesity.
Is Ozempic a good idea as a sponsor?
“I was the first to say that Ozembic is an absolutely wonderful drug for some people with certain chronic diseases. That being said, I am very concerned that Ozembic is associated with the Olympic Games,” says Benoît Arsenault, professor of medicine at Laval University and co-president of the Société Québécois de Lipitologie, d’Nutrition et Metabolism. “If we’re overweight, it’s because we don’t eat well and don’t exercise,” he says. He said.
Do these ads influence the audience?
“When we look at high-level athletes, we admire them, we project ourselves, we think about our own body shape. I’m afraid people will make the wrong connections and think they need ozembic,” says Dr.R Emile Senevert, a family doctor at the Loretteville Medical Clinic in Quebec, says there is “a certain discomfort” in front of these ads. He also noticed that requests for the drug have increased in recent months since the ubiquity of ozembic advertisements in the public domain. “Patients come to the office asking for Ozembic directly rather than asking for weight loss training.”
What will be the impact of these ads on people?
“What’s implicit in ads like Ozempic is that we need to be thin, which certainly affects people who are vulnerable to eating disorders,” notes the former director of the Douglas Institute on Eating Disorders (CTA) and D.R Howard Steiger. He believes that we should be careful about the public promotion of drugs. “Media ads that emphasize weight loss can lead to body dissatisfaction in people,” she says.
Can we take anything positive from Ozempic’s ads?
DD Julie St-Pierre is a pediatrician and lipidologist specializing in obesity research. He highlighted “a brilliant marketing move” on the company’s part. While he says he understands the arguments of those concerned, he believes the promotion of junk food at sporting events is “very disastrous”.
Is combining the Olympic Games and the Olympics a good marketing decision?
“I’m not very comfortable with this association, but I understand the marketing aspect,” says HEC Montreal Department of Management Professor Benoit Seguin. Radio-Canada has to pay “astronomical sums” to acquire television broadcast rights, which requires revenue, he explains. “And not all companies are willing to put up the amount that Radio-Canada is asking for advertising during the Games. » Ozempic is not an illegal product: it is approved by Health Canada and complies with the marketing rules for prescription drugs. “So they have the right to advertise,” notes Mr. Seguin, however. He admits he was surprised by the broadcaster’s decision.In Canada, prescription drugs can be advertised as long as their indication is not listed.
What does Radio-Canada have to say about this?
Radio-Canada owes much of its coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to its commercial agreements with partners such as Ozempic. “These collaborations are valuable in helping to mitigate the significant costs associated with production and broadcast rights,” explains CBC/Radio-Canada director of media relations Leon Marr. Each of Ozempic’s broadcast commercials during the games is authorized under radio, he says. -Canada Advertising Code and Canadian Advertising Standards. They are approved by ThinkTV, an independent self-regulatory body serving advertisers.
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