Hims & Hers Big Game Commercial - Focus Group Research
Content analyzed: Hims & Hers 2025 Super Bowl commercial 'Sick of the System'
Key Findings
- Overall score 6.7/10 with 50% positive, 17% neutral, 33% negative sentiment
- CTA visibility near-perfect (9.5/10) - brand impossible to miss
- Proof/support scored lowest (4.2/10) - 'doctor-trusted' seen as marketing fluff
- Trust paradox: high trust in message, low trust in product safety
Hims & Hers Big Game Commercial: Focus Group Research
What 12 Virtual Voices revealed about this Super Bowl advertisement
Executive Summary
Overall Score: 6.7/10
This high-energy Super Bowl commercial uses a fast-paced documentary-style approach to critique the American healthcare system as profit-driven and ineffective regarding obesity. The systemic blame framing—captured in the phrase "built to keep us sick"—resonates powerfully and removes shame barriers. However, the ad creates a fundamental trust paradox: viewers trust the problem framing but distrust the product solution, particularly around compounded medication safety and FDA approval status.
Sentiment Breakdown
| Sentiment | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Positive | 50% |
| Neutral | 17% |
| Negative | 33% |
Top Takeaways
What Worked Best
CTA visibility achieved near-perfect scores (9.5/10) - Brand name and URL were impossible to miss through multiple reinforcement mechanisms—visual text, verbal callout, and product branding—directly supporting the brand awareness objective.
Production quality scored exceptionally high (8.5/10) - Universal recognition of Super Bowl-caliber execution. Participants compared the documentary aesthetic to Netflix exposés and Vice News, differentiating dramatically from typical pharmaceutical advertising.
Emotional intensity scored strongly (8.1/10) - "Built to keep us sick" emerged as the universal emotional peak. The systemic blame framing was recognized as unprecedented for weight loss advertising and highly effective at removing shame barriers.
Value proposition clarity (7.8/10) - The "access + affordability + no shame" trifecta resonated across all demographics—addresses real market gaps during GLP-1 shortages. Even skeptical medical professionals acknowledged this as a "massive selling point" for underserved patients.
Areas for Improvement
Proof/support scored lowest (4.2/10) - Universal criticism that "doctor-trusted" and "formulated in USA" are marketing terms, not clinical evidence. All 12 participants—regardless of background—identified the critical gap between emotional proof of the problem and clinical proof of the solution's safety.
Satisfaction/payoff scored poorly (5.0/10) - The "systemic revolution" framing creates expectations that a subscription service cannot fulfill. Participants described the ending as "anticlimactic" after the documentary-style setup.
Perceived trust scored low (4.8/10) - Participants distinguished between trusting the message (high) and trusting the product (low). The high production value created suspicion rather than reassurance for medical content, with one participant comparing it to a "pill mill."
Consistency scored weakest (4.5/10) - The tonal shift from "documentary exposé" to "lifestyle commercial" created friction. Multiple participants described it as "two different videos mashed together."
Sample Questions (Preview)
Here are 3 representative questions from this research:
Q: Did the call-to-action jump out at you, or did you have to hunt for it?
Score: 9.5/10
CTA visibility achieves near-perfect scores with the highest consensus of any metric. Every participant confirmed the brand name and URL were impossible to miss, with multiple reinforcement mechanisms (visual text, verbal callout, product branding). This is a clear execution strength that directly supports the brand awareness objective.
"You couldn't miss it. The large text on screen and the verbal reinforcement left no ambiguity. It was well-placed visually." — Matej Novak
"It was impossible to miss. The branding was plastered on the boxes, the screen, the vials." — Vikram Patel
Q: Did you find the claims in this convincing?
Score: 4.2/10
Proof/support is the weakest metric, representing a critical vulnerability. All participants—regardless of background—identified the gap between emotional/statistical proof of the problem and clinical proof of the solution. The phrases "doctor-trusted" and "formulated in USA" are universally dismissed as "marketing fluff" rather than substantive claims.
"Weak. 'Doctor-trusted' and 'Formulated in the USA' are marketing terms, not clinical grades. Where are the trial results? Where is the safety data for their specific compound?" — Marcus Johnson
"There is essentially no clinical proof shown. 'Doctor-trusted' and 'formulated in the USA' are marketing fluff. In my world, 'formulated in the USA' is often code for 'compounded and not FDA-approved.'" — Linh Tran
Q: How strongly did this make you feel something? Was there a moment that really hit you emotionally?
Score: 8.1/10
Emotional intensity scores strongly with high consensus. The content successfully generates powerful emotional responses, with the phrase "built to keep us sick" emerging as the universal emotional peak. The emotional intensity is front-loaded in the first 30 seconds, creating memorable, shareable content.
"That line 'It was built to keep us sick and stuck' hit hard. That sparked some real anger. That was the emotional peak for sure." — Camila Ortiz
"The statistic about 500,000 deaths hit home. I see the end stages of metabolic disease in the wards—heart failure, diabetic foot infections." — Maya Thompson
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