The Making of Ro’s First Super Bowl Ad

In 2026, Ro is running our first Super Bowl ad. It features Serena Williams and her astounding journey on Ro—her weight loss, her improved blood sugar levels, her reduction in knee pain, and the overall improvement in her health.

A Super Bowl ad costs at least $233,000 per second of air time, so you have to make every second count (more on the Economics of a Super Bowl Ad from my fellow co-founder Z Reitano here). Over the last 180 days, the Ro team did just that. 

We aligned on a creative strategy, then poured over every frame. We sweat every detail—from how we introduced the injection and the visual world behind Serena, to the soundtrack and the precise way the GLP-1 pen morphs into the new weight loss pill – now available on Ro.

As we’ve shown the advertisement to our team, to friends and family, and to fellow creatives, I’ve loved answering their questions. Why did we start with an injection shot? How did we decide to do the stadium background? How did we decide to feature Serena again? How did we decide on the tonality of the spot? Did we use AI? How did we find a way to show Serena’s improved blood sugar and overall health without turning the ad into a medical explainer? 

Each question has been a reminder of just how much thought—and heart—the Ro team put into this ad. We weren’t just trying to make something cool for the Big Game. We wanted to use 30 seconds, seen by more than 100 million people, to tell Serena’s story clearly and to let millions of viewers know that Ro is here to help.

This post peels back the curtain a bit. I’ll walk through how we approached each frame, how we tried to tell Serena’s story on Ro, and what it’s actually like to make a Super Bowl ad from the inside.

Let’s dive in. 

The key to any creative execution is defining the strategy first. Before a single frame was storyboarded, we aligned as a team on the objectives and boundaries we would operate within, so that every creative decision pulled in the same direction. Constraints aren’t limitations—they force clarity and foster creativity. 

We decided the following:

Patients over rankings: 

• We decided to create a story that we knew would resonate with prospective patients above everything else. We didn’t need it to be the funniest or most entertaining ad of the night. We needed it to be inspiring and memorable—if that wins an award and tops a ranking, awesome (we’d love that too), but it was not the primary objective. 

Target audience is GLP-1 Aware: 

• We chose to focus on the 144M people who already had some awareness of GLP-1s (“GLP-1 Aware”) and who might be interested in the treatment for themselves or their loved ones. This segment was large enough for a Super Bowl ad, and familiar enough with the category, that we could jump right into dispelling the stigmas around GLP-1s without having to spend valuable time explaining what a GLP-1 is.

Objective - optimize for the post-game baseline:

• We did not treat the Super Bowl ad as a standalone bet. Instead, the commercial plays a critical role within a much larger marketing campaign, where its value will be realized over time.

• Further, we chose to optimize for the post-game baseline, not the in-game spike, treating the Super Bowl as a catalyst for multiplying brand and demand efficiency rather than a one-night conversion event.

• This meant prioritizing memorability and emotional resonance over an immediate call to action (e.g., discount or time-sensitive promo offers). We needed to clearly establish who Ro is and what we stand for, so that when people considered taking a step toward weight loss—or encountered Ro again in the weeks and months that followed—they would recognize us, trust us, and choose us.

Serena’s story is One of One and One of Millions: 

• We knew we wanted to continue telling Serena’s story. As an athlete, she is one of one. There's no one as disciplined as her when it comes to fitness and mental strength. As a mom of two, she did everything right (exercising and eating healthy) and yet the scale wouldn’t budge—a story so similar to so many other patient stories we hear every day. When it comes to the battle with weight loss, Serena is one of millions. This dichotomy is what makes her story so powerful—and why we decided to double down on Serena’s Ro story on the biggest national stage.

Ro In-House would take the lead: 

• Ultimately, we made the call that our Ro In-House brand team would lead the concept and creative execution of our first ever Super Bowl ad. This team had successfully launched our first “Serena’s on Ro” campaign in August 2025. Perhaps most importantly, this team was intimately familiar with our patients, their questions, concerns, and hesitations. We believed that the clearest expression of Ro needed to come from the people closest to the people using our platform.

After combing through 150+ creative concepts, we picked our final direction. Rather than a reset or change of narrative format from our August campaign, we decided to use the Super Bowl ad to build on Serena's initial story. 

For our original campaign launch, we dispelled the first myth around GLP-1s: that taking weight loss medication is cheating. Serena Williams, the most disciplined athlete in the world, came out and proclaimed that it's not a shortcut, it's healthcare. This not only made headlines around the world; it resonated with patients on a truly human level.

For our Super Bowl moment, we wanted to dispel a second myth around GLP-1s: weight loss meds are only for vanity. We know the value of GLP-1s is more than skin deep. We hear from thousands of patients every single week about the wide range of health benefits of GLP-1s beyond weight loss. Serena herself has shared how her joint pain got better, how she has more energy, and how her metabolic blood test results have improved. On Oprah’s podcast, she even shared how she’s “got knees like Megan” now.

So we decided to focus on this broader health story in our 30-second Super Bowl ad: “Healthier on Ro”

Here were the core components of the ad:

Healthier: 

The primary health benefit of GLP-1s on Ro is still weight loss. It’s the reason why people start treatment, and losing weight by itself has its own health benefits. But we now know that there are many other health benefits associated with being on GLP-1s—reduced joint pain, steady blood sugar levels, and decreased cardiovascular risk.

On Ro:

We know that our patients love the convenience of the Ro experience and trust our healthcare expertise—from handling their insurance seamlessly to the providers they can message anytime day or night. But rather than saying that Ro is easy and trustworthy, we decided to visually show what being “on Ro” and engaging with our providers feels like. 

With GLP-1s: 

The core part of the experience is having seamless access to FDA-approved GLP-1s—whether that’s an injection, or as of January 2026, a daily oral pill. We wanted to make sure we show the GLP-1 product prominently during the spot.

With the concept locked, the work shifted from high-level narrative to deciding exactly what we would say and how we would bring it to life—from art direction and the script, to director choice and production.

Evolved Art Direction: 

• We decided to preserve the established Ro visual world from our August campaign to build on recognition, keeping the studio and minimal environment while evolving it texturally to avoid repetition.

• For the Super Bowl spot, we introduced intentional motion to show how Serena feels healthier on Ro, using movement from Serena, the camera, and even the set. More on that later!

Launch spot

Super Bowl spot

Bring back production partner Young Hero

• We decided to work with our production partners, Young Hero, again. They managed our previous Serena campaign, and we knew that they were up for the Herculean effort of organizing a shoot at this scale and finding the right director and team.

Choosing an all-star director: 

• We needed a director who could expand the visual language without breaking what already worked in the previous spot.

• We decided to work with the talented Bethany Vargas for her ability to express momentum and motion. We wanted to integrate Serena’s performance with the camera work and set itself to physically convey progress—all while preserving the clarity and integrity of the Ro world. Her work on the Gap x Katseye commercial and Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra highlights this unique talent.

Pre-production with AI:

• We used AI extensively during pre-production to rapidly visualize shots, test framing, and explore motion. Near 1:1 pre-visualization reduced revisions and reshoots.

• We also used AI in practical ways, including wardrobe exploration for Serena, to see how different looks would read inside the studio.

• Most importantly, AI didn’t replace creative judgment. It just made our Ro In-House team more efficient – and allowed them to spend more time deciding what actually mattered.

Soundtrack

• We chose an unexpected, high-energy throwback track—“Riot Rhythm” by Sleigh Bells—to cut through the noise of Super Bowl night and drive recall. We wanted to create a memorable tension between the grittier sound and high-polish visuals. While other brands leverage universally known music, we wanted a song that immediately commanded attention and differentiated the spot while also inviting nostalgia for those familiar with it. Either way, it works whether you’re a fan of the band or you’re hearing it for the first time. 

• We loved that the intensity of the song reinforced the message, matching the physicality and motion of the spot while signaling that this was about confronting stigma and speaking loudly in a category that’s often treated quietly—creating an auditory signature that could carry across the broader campaign.

When you’re trying to tell a story in 30 seconds, every element needs to do work—the visuals, the VO, the music, even the subtle graphics. Much of it happens subconsciously. The goal is for all these components to work in harmony, so that the ad feels intuitive.

Below, I’ll break the ad down frame by frame—what you see, what you hear, and why each decision was made—to show how those elements came together to tell Serena’s story clearly in just 30 seconds.

Zoom in on Serena

"I'm on Ro"

We wanted to open with a shot of powerful simplicity. No gimmicks, no spectacle. Just Serena, centered and grounded on Ro.

The idea was to capture a legend in her element, radiating confidence. She winks at the camera—an unplanned and authentic moment captured on set of her feeling the best she has in years. This wink, this single beat, sets the tone for the rest of the spot and works harder than any scripted line could.

It captures the magic of standing across the room from someone who understands you, and they give you a wink: a quiet signal that you’re on the same team. An intimate connection before the scale of the Super Bowl kicks in. Juxtaposed with the defiant first few notes of the song, it builds tension, as if to say “it’s time.”

Injection shot with Weight Loss in the background

“34 pounds down on GLP1s”

Here we share Serena’s weight loss in the background. It’s not meant to be the main character—Serena is. And it’s not all about the number either.

The overall visualization is meant to show the complexity of her personal journey, non-linear at times. It’s grounding context for the more important part of the story to come: how she feels on Ro.

Zoom into the Click!

“Click”

The click of the injection. This is a major moment for our patients, like the first domino falling that pushes everything else into place. This is the catalyst that truly sets the spot into motion. 

A note on the injection: it’s always been important to us to show “the shot.”. It can be jarring for some, but we believe that part of normalizing GLP-1s-as-healthcare starts with demystifying what the experience is really like.

Jump on Ro

“Healthier on Ro”

Serena’s jump sets into motion the kinetic energy that drives the rest of the spot. The motion slows ever so slightly so that she hangs in the air for a moment—finally unencumbered by food noise, guilt, and her own body working against her. 

The stadium setting is revealed for the first time behind her, followed by another reveal immediately after: the steps move with the song and with Serena. We wanted to show how everything shifts once you’re working with your biology instead of against it. Everything syncs into rhythm.

The VO introduces the primary message of our 360 campaign: healthier on Ro. In this moment, healthier means more joyful, more energetic, more vibrant.

Ro app experience

“Supported on Ro”

As we delve deeper into Serena’s journey, we see the Ro app experience brought to life, demonstrating the ease of getting support at your fingertips—from diagnosis to delivery of medication. She taps the “goal” tab to seek support for her treatment journey, mapping back to Ro’s mission of delivering goal-oriented healthcare.

Weight Loss pen

“FDA-approved GLP-1 options”

Here we highlight the GLP-1 pen, speaking to our FDA-approved GLP-1 options. We added message overlays directly from the Ro app to make it clear that members get support every step of the way. The UI pop-ups showcase our hands-on clinical care, as well as our digital experience designed to keep patients empowered and informed.

The new Oral Pill

“Now even in a pill”

Here the medication within the pen morphs into pill form, highlighting that patients now have a new form factor for this life-changing medication and signaling that it’s the same active ingredient (semaglutide) as one of the GLP-1 pens. The GLP-1 pill is not only FDA-approved, but also the most affordable GLP-1 on the market today. We wanted to bring this new innovation to the Super Bowl stage and help introduce it to America.

Ro’s Healthcare Experts

“Weight loss expertise I trust”

We know from building Ro over the last 8 years that getting a prospective patient to take action on their health is two-fold: it requires equal parts inspiration and trust. They need to believe that they’re in good hands. Ro’s clinical team is led by nationally recognized experts at the forefront of their field—but the challenge was figuring out how to represent that.

After extensive explorations on how we might illustrate that, we chose to show them as part of the complete user experience. Let me introduce you to our Chief Medical Officer “Dr. B” and Ro’s clinical obesity lead Dr. Raoul - making their Super Bowl debut!

Reduced Joint Pain

“I’m moving better on Ro”

This is the moment where we really tell the “Healthier on Ro” story in a powerfully concrete way. While the VO speaks to the high-level benefits Serena has experienced on Ro, the graphics highlight the specific physical benefits she’s experienced beyond weight loss—backed by assessments by her doctor and her labs.

The graphics and her own action work in tandem to showcase her reduced joint stress, with an ethereal ring circling her high-knee jump.

Steady Blood Sugar Levels

“I’m feeling better on Ro”

The graphics show the steady peaks and valleys of stabilized blood sugar, as she spins and hammers home the feeling of being on Ro. In this moment, we connect that feeling of being on Ro with the factual data points. 

On set, we were intentional about making the space for Serena to improvise her movement and feel connected to her body. What we captured are genuine moments of joy and levity that can’t be faked.

The Flex

The flex. In many ways, it speaks for itself—but it also says so much more than what’s on the surface. Serena’s flex is a visual expression of health and confidence that reflects her overall experience with treatment and lifestyle changes. 

This expression of strength serves as our transition into our final frames. 

Weight Loss Recap

“I’m Serena Williams”

A bookend moment where we see the weight loss graphic again, but this time, the stadium has turned from concave around her to convex as a supporting stage. She’s sitting on top at ease, a champion yet again but in a new context.

Serena’s on Ro

“And this is me on Ro”

A final big reveal: we show that she’s been on Ro literally and figuratively through this entire ad. Everything she experiences—the support, the results, the energy—is because she’s on Ro.

As a digital-first telehealth company, we wanted this final moment to feel highly tactile and real. Your access to treatment and clinical care might all happen online, but the results? Those are physical, quantifiable, and as we’ve often heard from our members, life changing.

Ro’s Super Bowl spot: Credits

Ro In-House

• Giselle Guerrero - VP, Brand and Creative

• Jay Sullivan - VP, Growth, Ro Body and Performance Marketing

• Will Flaherty - SVP of Growth

• Stephanie Chin - Creative Director, Copy

• John Olson - Design Director

• Kelsea Seavey - Associate Director, Creative Operations + Production

• Taylor Givens - Associate Design Director

• Mario Sanchez - Associate Creative Director

• Topher Cusumano - Associate Copy Director

• Pooja Dharia - Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs

• Kayla Dalsfoist - Lead Creative, Copy

• Luka Gavasheli - Lead Creative

Partners

• Bethany Vargas - Director

• Young Hero - Production

• Framestore - VFX

• Modern Post - Edit

• Ethos Studio – Color Grade

• Squeak E. Clean Studios - Music and Audio Mix

Our Super Bowl Spot will be kicking off a broader campaign. Using the same visual world, tone, and narrative, we’re going to share what being Healthier on Ro feels like across different patients’ lives and journeys.

That includes Ro patients like Hannah, now training for a marathon; Greg, who’s back mountain biking; DeAnna and Mitchell Taylor, who can be more active with their kids, and—of course—Chuck, who’s feeling better than he has in decades. Different starting points. Different goals. The same underlying story of what’s possible when you’re on Ro. All of their spots received the same production-level quality as Serena’s—just like all patients get the same high-quality care at Ro—no matter whether you’re a world-class athlete or an everyday patient.

A Super Bowl ad compresses years of brand building into thirty seconds. You don’t get many chances to adjust once it’s live. What you can control is how intentional you are about every single element of the work—and whether the story you tell is one you’re proud of. 

For our first time on this stage, we tried to do exactly that.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, shoot me an email at [email protected]

Want to be part of a team building something bigger? Join Ro’s in-house creative team, led by Giselle Guerrero—a group of designers, writers, and makers who care deeply about craft, clarity, and impact, and are redefining what healthcare can look and feel like for millions of patients.

Apply at ro.co/careers

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Disclosure: GLP-1 medications through Ro are prescribed to patients only after a licensed health care provider has determined that doing so is clinically appropriate. The average weight loss for GLP-1s offered through Ro is 14-20% in a year, in conjunction with diet and exercise. In clinical trials, patients who lost weight saw lower glucose levels and reported improvement in knee joint pain. For important safety information about GLP-1 medications, including boxed warning, visit ro.co/safety 

Serena Williams is a paid partner, and Williams’ husband is an investor in Ro and serves on its board.