Ozempic user Simon Allaway, 52, a computer programmer and musician living in Chicago, likes the “Magic” spot. “I can’t help but sing along,” he said. “It fits the product perfectly.” Another user wrote on his message board that his father sings “Oh, oh, oh, oh Zempic” every time he gives an injection.
“Magic” has previously been leased several times for Coca-Cola advertising. “I actually sang ‘Coke, Coke, Coke, it’s Magic’ in the ’70s.” Paton recalled. It was used as the musical backdrop for the 2005 Disney film “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and Flo Rida’s 2009 single (also called “Magic”). “People always want to use the song in some way,” Paton said. .
When asked if he felt uncomfortable having his song associated with a lightning rod product, he smiled and shook his head. “I was happy! I am a songwriter. I want to sell my music. Many people don’t know the name Pilot, but many people know the song Ozempic.”
For musicians, the success of the Ozempic ad could be a harbinger of big checks to come. Pharmaceutical companies seem to have unlimited budgets to promote their products. Pharmaceutical companies will surpass technology and automotive in 2023 to become the second-largest advertising spending industry after consumer goods, according to media analytics firm Guideline.
Lady Gaga is already a spokesperson for Pfizer's migraine drug Nurtec ODT. Cyndi Lauper lends her distinctive Brooklyn accent to a commercial for Cosentyx, which treats plaque psoriasis. John Legend and Charlie Puth announce Pfizer's COVID vaccine and booster. The Jackson 5's “ABC” pushes a commercial for Trelegy (used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), while a commercial for the heart drug Entresto plays to the soundtrack of Sonny & Cher's “The Beat Goes On.”
But those spots haven't made it into pop culture like “Oh, Oh, Oh, Ozempic.”
“In modern advertising, campaigns tend to have very short shelf lives,” said CultHealth’s Rothstein. “Two or three years is best. Nevertheless, ‘Ozempic’ continues. “You could do all the market research in the world and this would never happen.”