Business
Hims & Hers Big Game commercial
A screenshot of Hims & Hers’ Super Bowl commercial (Sherwood News)

Hims & Hers threw a Super Bowl Hail Mary that landed incomplete. Now the receiver is on the sidelines.

Hims & Hers did get increased attention from the ad, but the product it showcased for millions of people is no longer at the center of its business model.

3/12/25 2:12PM

Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad attracted controversy, but it also led to a spike in web searches and drove a bump in traffic to the tele-pharmacy’s site.

The commercial focused on weight-loss drugs, though less than two weeks after it was shown to millions of people, the Food and Drug Administration took semaglutide off its shortage list, meaning Hims & Hers can no longer sell copies of Ozempic or Wegovy. The company now has to rethink its strategy on weight-loss drugs.

The ad also ruffled Big Pharmas feathers, with Novo Nordisk (which makes Ozempic and Wegovy) buying full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today the Monday after the Super Bowl, questioning the safety of compounded drugs. As Hims & Hers figures out how to move forward, one wrong move could potentially trigger a lawsuit from the Danish pharmaceutical giant.

A Super Bowl ad reportedly cost $8 million per 30-second slot, and Hims & Hers ad was one minute long, suggesting it likely cost them about $16 million before production and agency costs.

The company did not immediately respond to a request to comment, including an inquiry about much the ad cost it. Hims & Hers typically spends about half its revenue on marketing, with nearly $679 million spent on marketing last year.

Google searches of Hims & Hers spiked on the day of the Super Bowl, according to Google Trends data. But that didnt necessarily translate to sustained traffic to the company’s website.

Data from Similarweb shows that web traffic to hims.com and forhers.com spiked the day of the Super Bowl, but on a month-over-month basis was less in February than in January, which is typical. (The domain forhims.com also redirects to hims.com, though its traffic is much lower.)

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Paramount Skydance reportedly preparing an Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover bid, sending shares soaring

Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reported, sending shares of both companies surging. The Journal’s sources say the deal is backed by the Ellison family, led by David Ellison.

WBD shares were up 30% on the report, while Paramount Skydance jumped 8%.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

business

Fox and News Corp slide as investors digest $3.3 billion Murdoch succession settlement

Fox and News Corp shares dropped on Tuesday after Rupert Murdoch’s heirs agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement to resolve a long-running succession drama.

Under the deal, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James Murdoch will each receive about $1.1 billion, paid for in part by Fox selling 16.9 million Class B voting shares and News Corp selling 14.2 million shares. The stock sales will raise roughly $1.37 billion on behalf of the three heirs.

The new trust for Lachlan Murdoch will now control about 36.2% of Fox’s Class B shares and roughly 33.1% of News Corp’s stock, granting him uncontested voting authority over both companies for the next 25 years. Originally, the Murdoch trust was designed to hand over voting control of Fox and News Corp to Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James after his death.

Investors are weighing the trade-off. Clear leadership under Lachlan may resolve conflict internally, but the share dilution, executed at a roughly 4.5% discount, means long-term investors now hold slightly less clout than before.

Both companies’ stocks were trading close to all-time highs prior to the announcement.

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