The Winter Olympics Are Ushering In a New Era of Healthcare Advertising

By Precision Strategies

November 23, 2025

99.9% of people will never compete in the Olympics. Yet, for decades brands have focused on the perfection of high-performance athletes as a way to elevate their products. For health and fitness companies this was especially true, with Olympians representing the peak of human health.

Today, the conversation is shifting, with athletes representing resilience, transparency, and relatability rather than just athletic performance. In Eli Lilly’s recently expanded partnership with Team USA and the 2026-28 Games, all seven sponsored athletes have up-close experience with overcoming health challenges. Gold medalist speed skater Erin Jackson works with them to drive awareness for chronic eczema – a condition that worsens in winter, just as Jackson begins Olympic competitions, but the company stated that they will focus on supporting the roster of athletes “throughout their journey, focusing on their overall holistic path.”

This partnership is part of a larger trend in healthcare communications—from Suni Lee’s work with the American Kidney Fund to Serena William’s partnership with Ro. Healthcare brands are moving past celebrating winning to celebrating the effort required to manage a condition while competing at the highest level.

This healthcare trend is part of a broader marketing trend towards authenticity we’ve been seeing across sectors, but it is a particularly effective tactic for healthcare companies. Serena Williams’ partnership with Ro frames Williams as a mother and ‘everyman’– who keeps it “real” –rather than a top athlete. The combination allows audiences to both identify with Williams and ask themselves, “if Serena still needs this, why wouldn’t I?” Similarly, stories like Suni Lee’s speak to relatable healthcare experiences, approaching athletic success as only part of a story about overcoming health issues.

This style of human-focused storytelling builds trust. And even healthcare brands without athletic sponsors are leaning into the trend. Historically, pharma ads have relied on such a standard formula, stock-style footage with voiceover, that the ads have not only lost resonance with audiences, but become a punchline. Merck’s 2024 HPV campaign refreshes the traditional format by adding in much needed specificity, allowing the brand to anchor their messaging to authentic-feeling life points their audiences are likely to have experienced.

This movement towards authenticity not only makes healthcare messaging relatable in a way that feels fresh and smart, but also creates a healthier conversation around athletic performance and perfectionism. At a time when conversations about mental health and chronic conditions have become far more normalized, the world is recognizing the nuances and struggles we all face, including the athletes we idolize. Healthcare brands are smart to shift their strategies accordingly and their message is simple: athletes at the top of their game are actually human, just like you, and dealing with many of the same issues you do.

The broader lesson for marketing and PR is clear: authenticity, relatability and strategic timing are the new gold standards. If your brand is still pushing a façade of perfection, you are missing the most powerful narratives. Brands that lean into the truth of the human experience are the ones that build lasting trust.