Amid a viral social media trend glorifying the halcyon days of 2016, Novo Nordisk has gone back an extra decade to find inspiration for its latest direct-to-consumer Ozempic campaign.
The new ads hark back to Apple’s iconic “Get a Mac” push that spanned dozens of spots from 2006 to 2010 and starred actor Justin Long and comedian John Hodgman as the personifications of a cool, energetic Mac and blundering, virus-ridden PC, respectively.
Novo’s campaign, debuting Tuesday and dubbed “There’s Only One Ozempic,” brings back the duo, this time casting Long as brand-name Ozempic and Hodgman as an amalgamation of competing branded GLP-1s for Type 2 diabetes and compounded semaglutide. Neither Long nor Hodgman is an Ozempic user.
The episodic campaign comprises a series of clips that’ll run at least throughout the rest of 2026 on social media and connected TV, a Novo spokesperson told Fierce Pharma Marketing. Storylines for the series include chats at a water cooler, appearances on a “GLP-1 Trivia” game show and more.
Though one ad does show the two catching up exactly 8,476,092 minutes after their last commercial together, most center on Long’s character touting how Ozempic is approved not only to improve blood sugar but also to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events and worsening chronic kidney disease in people with Type 2 diabetes. That’s much to the shock and dismay of Hodgman’s character, who lets out a piercing scream in one spot after taking a peek at a whiteboard listing all of Ozempic’s approved indications.
Each of the clips includes the jingle, “There’s only one Ozempic,” once again to the tune of Pilot’s ’70s hit “Magic,” previously the basis of the “Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic” earworm.
And, perhaps in an effort to preclude any complaints from the FDA about distracting visuals during the ads’ major statement—a frequent refrain in the agency’s recent deluge of untitled letters criticizing pharma spots—when it’s time for the requisite listing of Ozempic’s indications, risks and side effects in several of the clips, the text is displayed against a solid-colored background, with Long simply reading the information aloud from a music stand.
The campaign is aimed at highlighting Ozempic’s distinct offering in comparison to other FDA-approved GLP-1s for Type 2 diabetes and unapproved compounded versions of its active ingredient, per Novo, pushing back a bit against the genericization that has made the Ozempic brand name synonymous with the entire GLP-1 drug class in recent years.
“There’s too much misinformation and miscommunication in our world today, and people with Type 2 diabetes deserve information that’s simple, accurate and useful when they’re seeking care,” Ed Cinca, Novo’s senior VP of marketing and patient solutions, said in a statement to Fierce. “GLP-1 medicines aren’t all the same, and Ozempic is differentiated by its multiple FDA-approved indications for adults with Type 2 diabetes, including those who also have cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease.”
“This campaign is meant to cut through the noise—in a way that’s approachable and memorable—so patients and healthcare professionals understand these differences and can have informed conversations,” Cinca continued. “Outcomes matter, clinical evidence matters, indications matter. At Novo Nordisk, our aim is to put patients at the center of care and to make sure they know there is only one Ozempic, which is only manufactured by Novo Nordisk.”