4 things a week: weight loss drugs and brainstorms
1. World.
The rise of GLP-1’s like Ozempic is crazy. Not crazy in that the adoption rate is so high - the diabetes and obesity epidemic in many parts of the world is well documented, and many times more people are just unhappy with their weight, but it seems to have happened so quickly. And this is just the beginning. Next year, the primary patent for Semaglutide (Ozempic) expires. This opens the door for significantly more competition, which will bring the price of these drugs down dramatically. What was something reserved for celebrities and those with premium health insurance will become available to anyone struggling with their weight.
I’m not here to judge whether it’s right or wrong to have weight loss drugs available to people at less than a gym subscription, but let’s think about the impact of that. In the U.S. a study has found that the average household with at least one family member on a GLP-1 med for 6+ months is spending about 6% less on groceries each month. That equates to around $416 a year, which doesn’t sound like much, but with 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. said to have tried some form of GLP-1 medication and 1 in 10 predicted to be regularly taking some form by 2030, that equates to a LOT of households and billions of dollars in reduced supermarket shopping. Particularly on unhealthy foods. Not a good time to be an ice cream brand.
What governments are hoping is that with people better able to control their diabetes and lose weight, there will be a reduction in obesity related disability, absenteeism, and “presenteeism” - turning up to work but not working your best - that costs countries an enormous amount each year. This is one of the reasons that the Biden administration proposed that Medicare and Medicaid would partially cover the cost of weight-loss drugs. An idea that Trump has obviously killed.
Here in the UK, it’s early days. In March, Vitality became the first health insurance provider to support with the costs of Ozempic and Wegovy for members with a BMI of 35 or over, but it won't be long before they become widely available. If you don't know someone taking the injections already, I've no doubt you soon will. With the price set to plummet, we are at the tipping point. And when it fundamentally changes how people work, shop, date and seek entertainment, markets had better be ready.
2. Innovation
An article in Design Week about brainstorms got us discussing them in the office this week. We don’t use the term ‘brainstorm’ in the studio. It’s a horrible word. Back in the 19th century, a 'brain-storm' described a sudden neurological or mental disturbance. It was only in the 1940s that an advertising executive decided to use the term to describe a system of idea generation. In the Design Week article, the creatives asked were pretty adamant that brainstorms are pointless unless lubricated with alcohol or acid and that good designers come up with their best ideas through solitary brooding.
Because we don’t use the term, I hadn’t ever looked it up. The dictionary definition actually surprised me;
Brainstorm (noun) “a spontaneous group discussion to produce ideas and ways of solving problems”.
If spontaneity is the requirement, we actually use brainstorms all the time at Morrama | Certified B Corp. Making tea, sitting around the lunch table, as we walk out the meeting room, or when we are waiting for clients to join a call. These moments are exactly when we do our design work, have our best ideas or provide valuable feedback. These spontaneous moments are when the magic happens. The 'water cooler moments' if you will (anything but brainstorms!)
As for the scheduled 1.5hr sessions with forced activities designed to 'loosen our minds' and 'generate ideas', these are equally valuable, not for the team perhaps - although structured workshops like this are really useful for helping junior members of the team - but for clients. Getting them involved in the design process in a way that helps extract their own thoughts and ideas and gets them excited about the project can be invaluable.
But these are not called 'brainstorms' these are workshops.
Glad that's cleared that up.
3. Morrama
It’s our 10th Birthday party next week and we set the team a task to design a poster. 10 posters for 10 years. Don’t get excited, you’ll have to wait. But it’s been a wonderful opportunity for creativity and seeing what each of the team has come up with.
OK, here’s a sneak peak.
4. Inspiration
I’m going to be speaking at an Industrial Design focused Design Declares event hosted by Tony Elkington at the end of this month, alongside the amazing Chris Sherwin PhD, Tom Jarvis and Caroline Jacob.
Titled Practical Sustainability in Industrial Design, we are going to be digging into the nitty gritty of what sustainable design means in practice.
More information and tickets here: https://lnkd.in/dHnGuMwX
If you want to join the conversations, email us to 4things@morrama.com.
My '4 things' will be back at the end of next week.
Jo, and the Team x
