Dear Clients, Partners, and Friends,

It has been a busy spring at Upland — new categories, new challenges, and some of the most interesting client conversations we’ve had in years.

Across those conversations, one question keeps coming up: what does GLP-1 actually mean for your brand?

The early narrative is already taking shape — people eat less, portions shrink, categories lose volume. That’s real, but it’s incomplete. It focuses on what is changing, without fully explaining why it’s changing or what comes next. 

So we did what we do. We went and found out for ourselves.

Introducing The GLP-1 Intelligence Report

This spring, we fielded a study with 1,600 consumers across the full GLP-1 journey — from those considering it, to current users, to those who have paused. We went in with a hypothesis: this isn’t primarily a weight-loss story. It’s a shift in how consumers experience control over their choices. 

What we’re seeing supports that.

For many consumers, this is the first time they feel genuinely in control of their decisions — without relying on willpower or constant trade-offs.  When that happens, the entire decision system begins to change. Not just what they buy, but what they expect from brands in the first place.

The effects will show up in portions, occasions, and category volume. But the more important shift is happening upstream — in how consumers think, prioritize, and decide. That’s the part most category planning isn’t yet capturing.

The Challenges We’re Helping Brands With

In response, we’re already working with clients to brief executive teams on what this means, evaluate where current innovation pipelines are exposed, and re-examine demand spaces through the lens of how behavior is actually shifting. The goal isn’t just to react to declining volume, but to anticipate where demand is moving and how to meet it. 

GLP-1 isn’t a future disruption. It’s already underway. The companies that get ahead of it will move before the data fully catches up.

If it would be helpful, we’re happy to share what we’re seeing.

Warmly, 

Jackie 
President, Upland Strategy