Ro’s Super Bowl Debut With Serena Williams Tackles GLP-1 Stigma

Ro and tennis legend Serena Williams are bringing the GLP-1 conversation to the Super Bowl.

Ro, a direct-to-consumer healthcare business that sells GLP-1 medications including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, is making its Super Bowl debut with an ad starring its brand ambassador, Williams. The commercial will air nationally during NBC’s broadcast and kick off a new campaign, “Healthier on Ro,” spanning TV, paid social, and out-of-home takeovers in cities across the U.S.

The goal behind “Healthier on Ro” is to destigmatize the drug and promote its other health benefits beyond weight loss. It continues Ro’s partnership with Williams that began in August, with an ad in which the sports icon publicly shared that she uses a GLP-1 drug.

At the time, Ro enlisted Williams to “dispel the myth that taking weight loss medications is cheating,” said Saman Rahmanian, Ro’s co-founder and chief product officer. The company wanted to show that if even an elite athlete such as Williams benefited from GLP-1s, “it’s not a shortcut,” he added.

Williams’ husband, entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and serves on its board. 

With its Super Bowl 60 ad, Ro is tackling another misconception: “that weight loss medications are only for vanity. We know that the value of GLP-1s is more than skin deep,” Rahmanian told ADWEEK.

In the spot, Williams shares the health benefits she’s experienced since taking GLP-1s, including losing 34 pounds in a year, reduced knee joint stress, steady blood sugar, and lowered cholesterol. 

As in her first campaign with Ro, Williams is also shown literally using the product – injecting it with a pen, ordering it via a mobile app, and promoting the new pill version.

Developed by Ro’s internal creative team and production company Young Hero, the spot uses a bright color scheme and high-energy soundtrack – “Riot Rhythm” by Sleigh Bells – to “convey what it feels like to be on Ro,” Rahmanian said.

“We know our patients love the experience and convenience, and trust our expertise,” he continued. “We wanted an ad that’s entertaining but will also resonate with patients.”

The GLP-1 boom

Ro’s Super Bowl push comes as GLP-1 use grows rapidly. In the U.S., 12% of adults say they are currently using a GLP-1 drug, up from 6% who said the same in 2024, according to a KFF survey. Americans spent $40 billion on appetite-suppressing drugs in 2024, a figure that is projected to triple by 2030, according to Grand View Research.

Earlier this month, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk released the first GLP-1 pill for obesity, and rival Eli Lilly is planning to release its own version later this year.

As the GLP-1 category enters its next chapter, marketing around the drugs is also maturing.

Last year, Hims & Hers, another direct-to-consumer telehealth provider, ran its first Super Bowl ad pushing for greater access to weight loss drugs.

Ro’s deal with Wiliams was one of the early examples of a celebrity brand partnership in the GLP-1 market.

Beyond its Super Bowl ad with Williams, Ro’s campaign will share a broader range of stories from other real patients, such as Hannah Nylander-Asplin, a Minneapolis-based runner who lost 75 pounds over 18 months, and Deanna and Mitchell Taylor, an Atlanta-based husband and wife who together lost 41 pounds on Ro.

The patients represent “different lives and starting points, but the same underlying story…  dispelling the myth that [GLP-1 use] is just for vanity,” Rahmanian said.  

“We’re using the Super Bowl moment to make sure people are aware there are options – in an inspiring and memorable way,” he added.