Novo Nordisk’s CEO on Taking Men’s Health to a Heavy Metal Festival

Most people don’t arrive at a heavy metal festival expecting to talk about their health.

That was part of the opportunity.

At COPENHELL in Denmark, Novo Nordisk, Forum for Men’s Health and Live Nation created the Hellth Challenge, giving fans an unexpected way into a subject that can be difficult to raise. Seven physical challenges let fans test their strength, stamina and reflexes alongside friends, making men’s health part of the experience without taking them out of the reason they were there.

The idea traveled. Videos around the initiative generated more than one million views in Denmark, a country of roughly six million people. But perhaps more importantly, the experience got people inside Novo Nordisk thinking differently about how and where the company can engage people.

Live Nation Global President, Media & Sponsorship Russell Wallach spoke with Novo Nordisk President and CEO Mike Doustdar about the thinking behind COPENHELL, what his team learned and where he sees an opportunity for live music to play a larger role.

Meeting people where they are

Russell Wallach: People are thinking about their health in more places and in more ways than ever before. How is that changing where and how Novo Nordisk shows up?

Mike Doustdar: People are taking ownership of their own health more and more. We see that in Google trends, with how people use AI and the conversations people have with their doctors and with us. Nowhere is that more true than in how people live with obesity. People seek information, inspiration and motivation from social media, online portals, through conversations with friends.

So we have to go to where people are and that means being a part of conversations where health is either already being discussed or trying to start conversations that aren’t happening. Lasting health starts now and what could be more in the here and now than live music?

But it is about more than that. There’s a lot of information out there about health and it’s easy to access but unfortunately, it can often be misinformation. As the leading company in diabetes and obesity, we have an important role to play in bringing the science and the facts to a conversation that impacts the health of billions of people around the world.

RW: That thinking took you somewhere unexpected: COPENHELL. Why was a heavy metal festival the right place to start a conversation about men’s health?

MD: Lifelong health, whether it’s mental or physical, depends on conversations. That could be with a healthcare professional or it could be with friends and family but the conversation is what often acts as a catalyst for improved health.

The reality is women are generally better at seeking help and support for their health. Men on the other hand live 3-4 fewer years than women.

We want to be a part of turning that around and COPENHELL was a great place to start. It is one of the largest festivals in Northern Europe, where the participants are mostly men aged between 35-55, and a fair proportion are considered overweight or obese.

So we decided to partner with Forum for Men’s Health and Live Nation to find ways to kickstart a conversation about men’s health and I think we succeeded in helping people think and talk differently about the health challenges men face.

RW: When you were designing the experience, what did you hope fans would take away from the moment?

MD: As with any event, there’s a before, during and after and we looked at all of them as opportunities to start the conversation. Before the event, we filmed some great content with partners and put that out on social media. The pick-up and engagement was remarkable because I think people didn’t expect a collaboration between COPENHELL and Novo Nordisk but the more they thought about it, the more it made sense. So the first target was getting fans interested.

At the event, we wanted the activation to be fun so we designed a series of challenges that festival-goers could undergo. The challenges tested strength, reactions, stamina and so on but really, the target was for fans to have fun with friends. It was a hook for conversation and I think it achieved that.

After the event, of course, we were able to go back to social media to highlight the partnership and kickstart the topic again but of course, we’re already looking forward to how we turn it into a longer conversation that changes how men think and talk about their health.

RW: What have you seen since COPENHELL that surprised you most?

MD: The interest and engagement has been quite overwhelming, with a combined 1 million plus views across videos, which is pretty remarkable given Denmark’s population is around 6 million. We also received very positive feedback from both participants and media in general because they agreed that we were shining a light on an important and under-discussed topic.

I think it also made our own colleagues think differently about how we can be bolder and perhaps more creative in how we meet people where they are. COPENHELL is not an isolated “event” or activation but an important element in a larger approach to engage people, whether men or women, about their health and making choices today to lead a longer, healthier life.