Imagine this scenario: A drugmaker hires a celebrity chef known for cooking fattening and, frankly, unhealthy dishes as a spokesperson and public face for its diabetes portfolio. Moreover, the celebrity chef has diabetes, but never acknowledged this publicly, so the drugmaker was unaware of the chef’s condition until negotiations began. Just the same, talks continued, but this tidbit did not become widely known until the deal with the drugmaker was officially announced.

Yes, this chain of events describes the run-up to the flap over Paula Deen, the self-styled Queen of Southern Cuisine and Food Network star who is the newly hired mouthpiece for Novo Nordisk, which sells various diabetes medications, including insulin and the Victoza injectable. By now, the controversy has been widely digested, perhaps more easily than a dozy of a Deen dish that continues to astonish — a breakfast sandwich consisting of burger meat, bacon, eggs and crispy bacon . . . on a donut, of all things. 

Since this episode garnered attention in January, other events have pushed Paula Deen and her involvement with Novo Nordisk off the most widely read lists on web sites. And the drugmaker is, not surprisingly, thrilled that the controversy is dying down. After all, there was a great deal of criticism about its decision — one analyst, David Kliff of Diabetic Investor, chided Novo Nordisk for sending what he maintained was the wrong message and urged the drugmaker to cancel its contract.

“I think the message she’s sending is that she hid diabetes and she did so for obvious business reasons — money. Basically, that’s saying to the public that there’s something wrong with having diabetes, something so wrong that I chose to hide it,” Mr. Kliff said in an interview. “Novo is endorsing a view that there’s something wrong with you if you have diabetes. This is a company that’s devoted its entire corporate life to helping patients with diabetes, but . . . in the long run, this will backfire on them.”

The possibility began to seem likely when the publicist who spent six years promoting Ms. Deen suddenly resigned in light of the Novo Nordisk deal. The departure, which quickly made headlines and kept the controversy alive for several more days, only appeared to underscore the debate over the celebrity signing. And to those who criticized Novo Nordisk, the resignation was just one tangible sign that the drugmaker exercised poor judgment in choosing Ms. Deen.

Just the same, the Paula Deen affair may not backfire. In this hyperactive media world, attention spans are short and what is outrageous one day can become a dim memory soon after. Moreover, Ms. Deen has a strong fan base that is likely to remain loyal and, as time goes on, diabetics may find the campaign appealing. One of her two sons — both of whom are part of the celebrity deal and will emphasize healthier cooking — will hold a demonstration at the American Diabetes Association Expo this spring.

Nonetheless, the dust-up does raise some questions. In no particular order, did Novo Nordisk make a misstep? Should the drugmaker have bailed after learning Ms. Deen had diabetes, but never discussed this with her audience while promoting unhealthy foods? Or was Novo Nordisk too calculating by betting that she could be usefully portrayed as an example of a change agent? And will Novo prove to be correct that the whole affair will blow over in a matter of months? 

Certainly, some critics have argued that there appears to be a disconnect between the notion of winning over diabetics with a positive role model and choosing someone who not only failed to publicly acknowledge the illness, but also continued to promote unhealthy dishes as a celebrity chef. To some, a desirable role model is a person who conveys a unique ability to acknowledge limitations while simultaneously embracing ways to adapt and grow. 

Ms. Deen was never in this category. Although the National Enquirer wrote in May 2011 that she has Type 2 diabetes, the celebrity chef apparently never confirmed or denied the report. And reports in that particular newspaper are, sometimes, not taken seriously or followed up by other media, so the disclosure was not widely known or, perhaps, widely believed. And since she also ignored the story, Ms. Deen missed an opportunity to publicly confront the illness and inform her audience about appropriate dietary habits.

However, Novo Nordisk was also apparently willing to shift its definition of a role model once Ms. Deen disclosed she is a diabetic. Instead of walking away and finding another spokesperson, the drugmaker decided that there was more upside than downside in signing her. The thinking seems to have been that wrapping its ‘Diabetes in a New Light’ campaign slogan around the 64-year-old icon had the potential for gaining attention not only from the Deen fan base, but anyone who liked to cook.

“As the world leader in diabetes care, we are committed to helping people with diabetes live great, fulfilling lives,” Camille Lee, corporate vice president of diabetes marketing at Novo Nordisk declared unabashedly in a statement announcing the celebrity signing. “We are thrilled that Paula, Bobby and Jamie Deen (her two sons) are part of this initiative that helps people embrace diabetes management in a more positive way.”

This is the point at which the drugmaker took on an air of disingenuousness. Given the sort of unhealthy food Team Deen had been promoting, Novo Nordisk had to find a way to justify its decision. And using a famous face to sell a drug is generally seen as a smart tactic. A growing business has been built around using celebrities to market pharmaceuticals and, unlike a paid actor, Ms. Deen really does have diabetes. So Novo recognized, albeit belatedly, this may be an opportunity to capitalize.

How so? Novo Nordisk is aggressively selling Deen as an example of how someone can come to terms with her diabetes and incorporate change into her life. Will that sell to a public that is aware that Ms. Deen repeatedly failed to do so before she was paid to openly acknowledge her diabetes? Cynics says no, but this remains to be seen. And the drugmaker clearly believes that memories will fade and what will matter most — in the long run — is what Ms. Deen cooks and conveys next year, not last year.

In making such a bet, however, Novo Nordisk is also taking a risk that its relationship with Team Deen might, instead, become associated with unhealthy eating, no matter how many times the celebrity chef agrees to alter her recipes or remind viewers that she has diabetes. Her fame, after all, has been built on numerous dishes that could be gift wrapped as the quintessential guilty pleasures. By and large, she has been known for the sort of diet that runs counter to combating diabetes. Some may not forget this fact.

In the end, though, the Novo Nordisk team would not have pressed ahead if they thought that the relationship with Ms. Deen could hurt its image and sales. They could be wrong, but their decision is clearly premised on the notion that she is akin to the daring but likeable sinner who has belatedly found religion — and that promoting her to a believing crowd will rub off on its corporate image and medications only in a good way. 

Sticking to such a belief can be admirable. And business is business. Why not tough out the criticism and second-guessing when market research and intuition suggest that Ms. Deen may have long-term value? But there is a touch of cynicism inherent in such an approach. Celebrity spokespeople can be viable and genuinely helpful in promoting better health with the right medication. But Ms. Deen failed to distinguish herself as a legitimate voice and Novo Nordisk, essentially, looked the other way. The drugmaker may yet boost revenue, but this is hardly a recipe for credibility.
 

Ed Silverman is a prize-winning journalist who has covered the pharmaceutical industry for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey, one of the nation’s largest daily newspapers, for more than 12 years. Prior to joining The Star-Ledger, Ed spent six years at New York Newsday and previously worked at Investor’s Business Daily. Ed blogs about the drug industry at Pharmalot. He can be reached at [email protected].