GLP-1 draws pharma advertisers to double down on the Super Bowl

February 06, 2026 The Super Bowl offers a massive, if expensive, window of opportunity for advertisers looking to take advantage of its unrivaled audience reach – a reality that GLP-1 drugs and other healthcare products will harness this weekend. There’s also an outside chance this year might be their last chance to do so, should U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. get his way. However they're justifying it, pharma brands are spending heavily on the Big Game on NBC and Peacock this year, in contrast with the category's traditional focus on news and daytime TV over live sports. Advertisement TOP STORY Marketing in Sports GLP-1 draws pharma advertisers to double down on the Super Bowl Could this be the last year Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, Hims & Hers, Novartis, Ro, and Lilly all run spots during the Big Game? OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Domain relevance is critical to help brands improve their standings in AI-powered search results. Keyword-driven top-level domains like .studio signal industry relevance and ensure brands stand out in AI-generated search. Partner insights from name.com. As AI evolves from automation to autonomy, marketers are rethinking how campaigns run and how marketing organizations operate. Virgin Money is using AI-driven audience optimization so its agency team can focus on strategic tasks — all while reaping the rewards of improved performance as noted by its agency partner, mFuse. Partner insights from Quantcast. Leaders need new frameworks for handling the human-agent hybrid workforce. This means rethinking foundational assumptions about expertise, collaboration and career development. Partner insights from BetterUp. MEDIA & PLATFORMS Marketing in Sports WPP Media beefs up its sports insights prowess with new partnership with Genius Sports WPP Media’s partnership with Genius Sports brings first-party audience data to the game, which may help lead to better outcomes for clients. Generative AI WTF is the IAB's AI Accountability for Publishers Act (and what happens next)? The IAB introduced a draft bill to make AI companies pay for scraping publishers’ content. Here’s how it’ll differ from copyright law, and what comes next. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NEXXEN Why the 2026 World Cup will be a case study for the fragmented TV space Fragmentation is no longer an edge case in TV — it’s the operating environment. And marketing strategies have to be built with that reality in mind. Here’s how that might play out during the World Cup. MARKETING Member exclusive Future of Marketing Briefing: The word 'agency' is costing the ad giants What's tripping up the holdcos isn't just economics or technology. It's semiotics.  PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM QUANTCAST Autonomous AI is unlocking a new way forward for performance marketing Autonomous advertising learns continuously, adapts instantly, frees teams from operational drag, unlocks audiences others can't see and compounds performance over time — extending expertise for performance marketers. Marketing in Sports Programmatic is drawing more brands to this year's Winter Olympics Widening programmatic access to streaming coverage of the Milan-Cortina Games is enabling smaller advertisers to get their feet in the door. Advertisement PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NPR How a new tool is reshaping media optimization strategies, shifting budget to podcasts Podcasts provide a distraction-free, lean-in experience, ideal for complex messaging where trust and attention are paramount. A new tool provides the empirical evidence teams need to move budget into the podcast space more confidently. SUPER BOWL LX The Creator Economy Brands invest in creators for reach as celebs fill the Big Game spots The Super Bowl is no longer just about day-of posts or prime-time commercials, but the expanding creator ecosystem surrounding it. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy