While earlier installments of Noom’s “Lose for Keeps” campaign featured Rebel Wilson goofing around in pastel workout wear, the company’s newest spot trades Wilson’s relatable brand of star power for a scarier, dystopian mood.
The spot, which will debut at ADWEEK House HQ today, features an influencer type reveling in her weight loss wins, only to get a rude awakening from her smart home devices. In the ad, the woman hears sinister whispers coming from her TV, smart speaker, smoke alarm, and Roomba. All of them offer the same warning: “Weight regain doesn’t care.”
Noom’s internal marketing team worked with director Nina Meredith and Shutterstock Studios to produce the ad. Rachel Mahoney, Chief Brand Officer at Noom, told ADWEEK that the internal team wrote the script and concept for the spot, but bringing in Meredith to direct helped achieve the creative vision.
Other versions of the ad featured ghostly figures delivering the tagline, but that felt too Ultimately, the smart home paranoia concept tested best with potential viewers.
“The message was even clearer when the tone was heightened a little bit more,” Mahoney said. “People recognized that this is something that could be a fearful part of a weight loss journey, but then [the spot] sets up Noom really well to be a solution at the end.”
Mahoney said the team wrote the ad to feel like the whole world was speaking to the main character, even voicing some of her greatest worries. Anyone who has lost weight knows the fear of gaining it back can be pressing, and “you can’t fight the science,” Mahoney added.
Noom has always emphasized the importance of healthy habits in the weight loss journey, either as a standalone strategy or more recently as an important support pillar for people taking GLP-1s. The company began offering GLP-1s via Noom Med in 2023, but their marketing still highlights “tailored support,” including access to coaches, clinicians, and habit-building tools, as a key feature of Noom’s weight loss program.
That support is especially crucial when people stop taking GLP-1s, as many do. Eleven in twelve people who take GLP-1 drugs will either pause or stop taking them completely at some point, Noom reported, despite doctors’ insistence that patients need to take the medication as prescribed if they want to continue to see weight loss benefits.
Pairing Noom’s habit formation approach with GLP-1s can actually help some patients reduce their weight rebound in the case they stop taking the medication. According to a research report from Noom, members who continued practicing Noom habits even after stopping a GLP-1, tended to keep off more weight than non-Noomers who discontinued GLP-1 use.
The research is also reflected in patient testimonials on YouTube. As another feature of the “Lose for Keeps” campaign, Mahoney said Noom spoke with members who have lost weight with a combination of habit change and GLP-1 meds.
While the market position says people can take GLP-1s for the rest of their lives, that is not always the reality, Mahoney said. Side effects, financial circumstances, or life changes can complicate the doctor’s orders, so Noom maintains that habit change is still an important part of the weight loss equation.
“Most people aren’t thinking about stopping a GLP-1 when they’re starting a GLP-1,” Mahoney said. “This PSA is really about the questions you should be asking, or things you should be thinking about, before you make your choice.”
