Novo Nordisk is running an exhibition in central London designed to start a dialogue on obesity and help remove the stigma surrounding the condition.
The “obesity experience” is dubbed “Meet Me in the Middle” and is set up as a small maze (with an escape room series of tests) that showcases videos, stats and several hosts detailing the complexity of a patient’s obesity journey.
Based on the South Bank overlooking the Thames in central London, this immersive exhibition is open to the public for two days starting June 8. It appeared to have a swift impact as many of the public who were streaming past stopped to take pictures of the exhibition and talk about its premise.
The idea of the maze is to show how a patient with obesity has no linear move to a healthy weight: The journey is often replete with setbacks, having to return to a previous place, or getting lost in the options available, while also struggling with continual motivation.
Novo Nordisk’s insignia is part of the setup as the company looks to engage more with the public. There are also QR codes within the maze and after that take people to Novo’s “Truth about Weight” website.
This exhibition forms part of Novo’s broader “Make Life Gains” campaign, which looks to discuss obesity as a medical condition and therefore one that can be treated in a medical setting.
This experience is an unusual move for any pharma company: To set up a physical, public-facing event that requires many moving parts goes far beyond most U.K. campaigns.
Novo also released a survey alongside the exhibition’s launch that aims to highlight that, when weight-loss progress stalls, this “can take a significant emotional toll on people living with overweight or obesity,” according to a release.
The survey of just over 2,000 U.K. adults who were overweight or living with obesity showed nearly two-thirds (64%) said they had experienced periods where their weight did not change.
Among those, more than four in five (82%) said these moments “triggered negative emotions,” while nearly two-thirds (62%) said they went through these experiences alone without seeking support.
But on the positive side, the survey found that “small wins” can help people keep going, with 87% saying these gains help them stay on track or restart their journey.
This comes as Novo’s latest obesity drug, the Wegovy pill, became available in the U.K. in the same week the maze was installed. There are, however, no mentions of the med at the installation given the strict rules on direct-to-consumer advertising in the U.K. and Europe.
The idea is more geared toward “changing the conversation around obesity,” according to David Ørsted, VP Medical & Marketing, Novo Nordisk UK, who spoke to Fierce Pharma Marketing at the exhibition’s launch.
“Socially, we have been very focused on ‘numbers on the scale,’ and this is an attempt to show that it is much more complicated than that,” Ørsted said.
“There are challenges at the start of the maze,” he explained, alluding to the exhibition, “and then there are also positives. I think it helps make things much more real, so people can see it firsthand.”
He said that there remains a “huge gap” when it comes to awareness about obesity as a condition among the wider public and even healthcare professionals. “We’ve realized with the science behind it that it is actually a very complex condition and I think that is moving the conversation.
“Where before it was very visible with how you look, and you had that number on the scale," Ørsted said. "Now, though, it is shifting as we understand it better from a scientific perspective. Now we are understanding it more, it becomes less stigmatized.”
As part of the experience, Novo also tapped actress Natalie Cassidy to help promote its messaging.
Cassidy posed for pictures at the exhibition and is also featured in a video within the maze talking about her weight loss challenges. She also appeared on morning TV in the U.K. to talk about the installation on June 8.
Cassidy features on a dedicated Novo podcast that is being run on the Truth about Weight site, as well.
“My relationship with food, weight and body image has changed a lot over the years,” Cassidy said in a statement.
“There were moments when I felt isolated and unsure where to turn and looking back, I wish I had spoken to someone sooner. For me, the biggest lesson has been learning that balance, kindness and support matter far more than trying to be perfect," she said. "I hope sharing my story helps others feel less alone and encourages more open, honest conversations about weight and wellbeing.”