• by Sarah Mahoney , August 25, 2025

Ro, the direct-to-patient healthcare company, just announced its splashiest partnership yet: a multiyear deal with tennis legend Serena Williams. For the first time, Williams is speaking publicly about using GLP-1 treatment, revealing she shed 31 pounds after having children. She says her usual regimen of training and nutrition -- the same discipline that defined her career -- wasn’t enough for her postpartum body.

That candor is the campaign’s centerpiece. It also signals how celebrity storytelling is evolving around a sensitive category, with less euphemism and more first-person proof.

 “She eats right, works out every day -- no one works harder,” says Saman Rahmanian, Ro’s co-founder and chief product officer, in an email to Marketing Daily. “By being transparent that even she needed support from GLP-1s to reach her goals, she helps break the stigma. These treatments aren’t a shortcut, they’re science.”

The campaign follows Ro’s ads starring Charles Barkley. Those spots leaned into humor, riffing on Barkley’s wise-guy persona. Rahmanian says the two campaigns, both developed in-house, aren’t different because men and women respond differently to GLP-1 messaging, but because the athletes have such different personalities.

“Charles leans on comedy and honesty in everything he does, so we wanted to celebrate that with humor and improvisation in his spots,” Rahmanian says. “Serena is driven, passionate, and authentic, with a love for design and technology that we brought to life through her campaign. Across both campaigns, our ambassadors aren’t just spokespeople; they’re real Ro patients who care deeply about their health and are passionate about sharing their stories.”

Both celebs are patients, he adds. “What they share is authenticity.” Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in Ro and serves on its board.

Ads are running on TV and streaming, along with a large out-of-home campaign in New York City, including a full subway station takeover in Times Square.