Thoughts on Brands in the News: Ed, Sydney and Novo
It has been a lively time in the world of branding! It seems like every day there is a new, debatable branding story. Here is my take on a few of the recent stories.
Novig and Sydney Sweeney
The biggest story in the world of marketing last week was Sydney Sweeney’s new campaign for prediction market app Novig. The spot featured Sweeney in provocative poses, talking about Novig’s positioning as a betting app just for sports.
People were offended; this was a blatant use of sexuality to sell a gambling service.
I have mixed feelings.
First, I respect Novig‘s clear positioning. The firm is focused on sports betting. This niche positioning makes it different and unique from larger players like Kalshi and Polymarket. The spot is very clear. Sweeney repeats the positioning again and again: sports, sports, sports, sports.
Second, a Sydney Sweeney in revealing attire is a good way to attract attention with the target market, young men.
Third, Novig gave Syndey Sweeney an equity stake in the company and in the process aligned interests.
While some are rightly offended by the campaign, I see the logic.
Ed Sheeren
Wow! It is hard to think of someone in a more difficult position than Ed Sheeren.
Macklemore expressed support for Palestinians in recent concerts with the phrase “Free Palestine.” This phrase has different interpretations but is clearly anti-Israel.
In an astonishing move, Robert Kraft, owner of Boston’s Gillette Stadium, declared that because of his views Macklemore wasn’t welcome to perform. Sheeren then dropped Macklemore from his tour.
This led to Sheeren’s other opening acts dropping out, in support of Macklemore.
You have to feel bad for Sheeren. Stick with Macklemore and he has to cancel performances and disappoint fans. Drop Macklemore and he is accused of bowing to censorship.
Last weekend Ed Sheeren performed in Philadelphia essentially alone.
The problem with taking a strong stand on the conflict in the Middle East is that there aren’t easy solutions. Unconditional support for Hamas and the River to the Sea sentiment? No. Unconditional support for Israel and its destruction of Palestine? No.
There isn’t an easy solution.
But artists like Ed Sheeren can get caught in the conflict.
Some people argue Sheeren can’t avoid taking a stand. I think on many polarizing issues, there is little to be gained from lining up on one side or the other, unless the cause is central to your brand promise and beliefs.
Novo
Last week Novo Nordisk announced a rebranding. The company would now be referred to as Novo, and the company’s iconic bull would face right instead of left. The company’s values would shrink from 10 to 4.
One might think that this is all a waste of money. The cost isn’t insignificant; every sign, digital image and computer now have to be updated with the new logo.
Some will likely argue, “Why spend the millions required so that that bull can face right instead of left? That is ridiculous marketing drivel.”
I think that assessment misses the bigger picture. Novo’s rebranding represents a critical moment for the company.
Over the last several years, Novo has been cleanly beaten by Lilly. Novo had the lead in the GLP-1 market with Ozempic and Wegovy, but Lilly now leads the category.
There were many factors behind the decline of Novo.
One thing is clear: for most patients, all the products are safe and effective. Lilly simply out-executed Novo.
Novo needs a fresh start and a new spirit. The company can’t sit back and respectfully talk about its quality products; this hasn’t worked. Novo has to battle Lilly for share – winning over physicians, securing market access and gaining patients.
The change to Novo’s values is striking. What is going away?
-Healthy work environment
-Diversity and respect
-Curiosity and Innovation
-Triple Bottom Line Accountability
What is new? Competition and Clarity
The shift last week sends a message to employees. The company is now less focused on being a gentle, pleasant place to work and more focused on winning in the market.
Hate to bring it up — I’m middle aged and not an Ed Sheeran fan — but sadly I do know it’s “Sheeran”, not “Sheeren”. Apparently his branding wasn’t strong enough, even with the controversy! 🙂
Otherwise, it seems to me Sydney Sweeney’s ads were trying to compete with Fanduel rather than Polymarket, at least speaking from my perspective as a sports watcher in a non-U.S. country whose family streams baseball and American football. If Fanduel and its ilk are the competition, the only differentiation for Novig is hiring an actress known for flirting with outright racism in past ads to shill their brand. (I suppose that’s a differentiator for their demographic?) The interesting thing is that I know all about her ads from the controversy, but I’d never heard of Novig until this post. Maybe it’s a good thing for them that I don’t know what company she was shilling for? They did a great job of PR, keeping their name out of it, I suppose. But I sure know Fanduel and can’t escape THEM…so maybe not, because if ever wanted to place a sports bet…well, I only know Fanduel.
Also speaking from a country outside the U.S., I’m not sure branding is Novo’s biggest problem. Their issue was that their product was not as good as Lilly’s. It’s pretty clear here, where we now have generics of Novo’s drugs. They’re hugely popular right now because they’re affordable (though still a bit of a premium product because they’re mostly not covered by government or secondary healthcare). When Lilly’s drugs go generic, Lilly will have the same problem (and yeah, their generics will be more popular because they’re more effective). I don’t see how a rebrand will help — Novo needs to put more money into drug development, not a rebrand. Product is where Lilly killed them, not marketing. If Novo develops the next killer product, then Lilly is toast for a bit. Product is still key, even as companies in my city are trying to kill their product groups after they’ve already decimated marketing, because…overhead. You can pay for a hail Mary from an overpriced agency, but it’s not going to solve the fact that you have no actual marketing strategy and you haven’t invested in your product roadmap.