EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Eli Lilly is an Official Partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, an Official Team USA Partner in the prescription medicine and health equity category, and a partner with NBCUniversal through the 2028 Games. The multi-platform partnership, announced in June 2023, represents an expansion of Lilly's Olympic involvement, which began with Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Lilly's Olympic sponsorship is unusual in the pharmaceutical industry. Rather than promoting individual products, the company has used its Olympic platform to rebrand as a health-forward corporate entity, positioning Lilly alongside elite athletes while addressing health equity in the United States. The strategy has been led by Chief Corporate Brand Officer Lina Polimeni and executed with creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, which developed campaigns featuring Olympic athletes including Simone Biles and Suni Lee.
The timing is notable. Lilly is the most valuable pharmaceutical company in the world, with a market capitalization near $700 billion, driven by explosive demand for its GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. The Olympic partnership amplifies Lilly's transformation from a traditional pharma company into a consumer-recognized health brand.
1. OLYMPIC HISTORY & MARKETING PRESENCE
1.1 Partnership Timeline & Evolution
Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) Lilly's first Olympic sponsorship. Rather than promoting specific drugs, the company produced "Our Collective Health," a short film released during the postponed Games that focused on the health of the nation. This marked a deliberate departure from traditional pharmaceutical advertising and established the template for Lilly's Olympic strategy.
Paris 2024 Major escalation in Olympic activation: - Athlete Ambassadors: Partnerships with seven Olympians and Paralympians, including gymnasts Simone Biles and Suni Lee - "One Body" Campaign: 60-second TV ad showcasing the variety of body types competing in the Olympics, running across TV, digital, social, print, events, and out-of-home - Presenting Sponsor of U.S. Olympic Team Trials (Swimming): Expanded partnership to include pre-Games events - "Making Team USA" Partnership: Official partner of the NBC docuseries - Medal Donations: Committed $5,000 for every Team USA medal, world record, or Olympic/Paralympic record, resulting in $2,655,000 donated across 24 organizations - Corporate Ad During Opening Ceremony: Lilly became one of the first pharmaceutical companies to air a corporate (non-product) ad during the Olympic Opening Ceremony
Milano Cortina 2026 Lilly has expanded its Olympic activation for the Winter Games: - Official sponsor of Milano Cortina 2026: In addition to its Team USA partnership, Lilly signed a separate deal as an official sponsor of the Games itself, working with Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 to raise awareness about chronic disease prevention and early detection. - Seven Team USA athlete ambassadors: Including Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled, most decorated Black Winter Olympian), reflecting resilience, perseverance, and holistic well-being. - "Milestones into Meaning" expansion: Lilly commits to donating for every Team USA medal, world record, or Olympic/Paralympic record to U.S. nonprofits. For Milano Cortina 2026, the program expands to benefit 26 U.S. organizations (up from 24 at Paris 2024). - "Our work is never over" campaign: New advertising drawing parallels between the relentless work of scientific progress and athletic performance, running during NBC Winter Olympics broadcasts.
1.2 Signature Programs
- Health Equity Positioning: All Lilly Olympic marketing centers health equity rather than product promotion. This is deliberate and distinct from typical pharma sponsorship.
- Athlete Ambassador Program: Seven Olympians/Paralympians as brand ambassadors, with emphasis on diverse sports and body types
- "Our Collective Health" / "One Body": Anthemic brand films positioning Lilly as a health company rather than a drug company
2. LA28-SPECIFIC INITIATIVES
2.1 Announced Plans & Positioning
- Lilly will serve on a council of LA28 commercial partners working to "positively impact" the Games
- NBCUniversal partnership will provide marketing and media opportunities to raise awareness of treatments for diabetes, cancer, obesity, Alzheimer's, and other conditions
- Health equity programming expected to expand given LA's diverse population and health disparities
- The LA28 partnership is the capstone of a multi-Games strategy that began at Tokyo 2020
LA28 Venue Context: The Games will use 40+ competition venues across the LA metro area, with a dual-venue Opening Ceremony shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium (announced May 2025). LA28 will be the first Games since 1948 built entirely on existing infrastructure. The dispersed venue footprint across the LA metro creates potential for community health activations that reach beyond the competition sites. The LA28 Volunteer Program (presented by Delta Air Lines) and monthly Shine LA community activations provide additional touchpoints for health equity programming. The 50-state Olympic torch relay, beginning April 2028, could serve as a vehicle for Lilly's community health messaging across diverse markets.
Brand Positioning Considerations: Lilly's corporate brand messaging at the Olympics ("Our Collective Health," "One Body") positions the company as a health company rather than a drug company. LA28's emphasis on community benefit and the home-soil domestic audience create the most favorable environment for this messaging since the partnership began. NBCUniversal's broadcast platform (which delivered 30.6 million average viewers for Paris 2024) provides Lilly's highest-reach media opportunity.
2.2 Regulatory/Market Context
Pharmaceutical advertising at the Olympics exists in a complex regulatory environment. The U.S. is one of only two countries (along with New Zealand) that permits direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Lilly has navigated this by focusing on corporate brand messaging and health equity themes rather than specific product promotion in its Olympic creative, which allows the messaging to work globally even where DTC pharma ads are prohibited.
The rise of GLP-1 drugs for obesity has also introduced new brand considerations. Lilly's association with Olympic athletes and peak physical performance creates an interesting tension with its core growth products (Mounjaro, Zepbound), which treat obesity and diabetes. The company has handled this by keeping Olympic messaging at the corporate brand level.
3. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & DECISION-MAKERS
3.1 C-Suite Leadership
- David A. Ricks: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO since January 2017). Under his leadership, Lilly's market value has increased nearly tenfold from $80 billion to approximately $700 billion. Named Chief Executive magazine's CEO of the Year.
- Lucas Montarce: Executive Vice President and CFO
3.2 Olympic Partnership Leadership
- Lina Polimeni: Chief Corporate Brand Officer. Oversees Lilly's corporate brand strategy and sports partnerships, including the Olympic program. Named to Campaign US CMO 50 in 2025 and selected as a Campaign Inspiring Women honoree. Polimeni led the strategic shift from product-focused marketing to corporate brand storytelling through the Olympic platform. Under her leadership, Lilly's brand awareness has jumped 57% and trust has increased across the general population.
3.3 Board Members with Relevant Experience
Not specifically identified in public filings related to sports or Olympic governance.
4. AGENCY & CREATIVE PARTNERS
4.1 Agency Model
Lilly uses a mix of external agencies for corporate brand work and is increasingly bringing some marketing functions in-house.
4.2 Known Agency/Partner Relationships
- Wieden+Kennedy: Creative agency for Lilly's Olympic marketing campaigns, including "Our Collective Health" and "One Body." This is the same agency best known for decades of Nike work, which creates an interesting parallel given both companies are LA28 partners.
- Grey (WPP): Healthcare creative agency relationship
- GSW: Healthcare marketing agency
- OMD: Media agency (historical; Lilly's $80 million media account)
4.3 Notable Creative Executions
- "Our Collective Health" (Tokyo 2020): Short film focusing on national health rather than individual products; established Lilly's Olympic brand voice
- "One Body" (Paris 2024): 60-second ad showcasing diverse Olympic body types; ran during Opening Ceremony
- Athlete Ambassador Content: Campaign featuring Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and five other Olympians/Paralympians across all channels
5. COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
5.1 Market Share & Competitive Landscape
Lilly is the most valuable pharmaceutical company in the world by market capitalization (~$700 billion). Its primary competitors in the GLP-1 space are Novo Nordisk (Ozempic, Wegovy) and, increasingly, Amgen and Pfizer entering the obesity market. In broader pharma, Lilly competes with Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AbbVie, Merck, and Roche.
Key Competitors and Their Sports Sponsorship Strategies: - Novo Nordisk: Lilly's primary GLP-1 competitor. No Olympic sponsorship. Novo sponsors the Tour de France (through its diabetes brand) and individual cycling teams but has no comparable global sports platform. - Pfizer: No Olympic sponsorship. Gained significant brand visibility through COVID-19 vaccine partnerships but has not invested in major sports sponsorship. - Johnson & Johnson: No Olympic sponsorship. J&J has sponsored individual athletes and health-focused community programs.
No other pharmaceutical company holds an Olympic partnership at any level, making Lilly's position category-creating rather than category-exclusive.
5.2 Olympic Sponsorship Differentiation
Lilly is the only pharmaceutical company with an Official Partner role at LA28. The health equity positioning creates a distinctive brand association that no competitor can replicate within the Olympic context. The approach is novel for pharma: rather than product-specific sponsorship (as seen in sports like golf or tennis), Lilly has built a corporate brand strategy around the Olympic platform. The +57% brand awareness increase since launching Olympic-centered corporate marketing demonstrates the strategy's effectiveness.
5.3 Key Brand Messaging
- Health equity as a company mission
- "Making life better for people around the world" (corporate tagline)
- Corporate brand identity as a medicine company, not a drug company
- Association with elite athletic performance and diverse body types
- Focus on conditions (diabetes, cancer, obesity) rather than specific products in Olympic context
6. KEY METRICS & BUSINESS CONTEXT
6.1 Financial Performance
- 2024 Revenue: $45 billion (32% YoY growth)
- 2024 Q4 Revenue: $13.53 billion (45% YoY increase)
- 2024 EPS: $12.99 (106% YoY increase)
- 2025 Revenue Guidance: $58.0-$61.0 billion (~32% growth over 2024)
- Market Capitalization: Approximately $700 billion (as of late 2025)
- Key Growth Drivers: Mounjaro and Zepbound (combined $16.4 billion in 2024 sales)
- CEO Compensation (2024): $114 million (David Ricks)
6.2 Olympic Period Performance
Lilly measures Olympic ROI through brand metrics rather than direct product sales: - Brand Awareness: +57% since the shift to Olympic-centered corporate marketing - Trust: Increased across the general population - Paris 2024 Donations: $2,655,000 across 24 organizations via medal donation program
APPENDIX: KEY SOURCES
Official Sources
- Lilly Investor Relations: investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-announces-official-partnerships-la28-olympic-and
- LA28 Announcement: la28.org/en/newsroom/Lilly-Announces-Official-Partnerships-with-LA28-Olympic-and-Paralympic-Games-Team-USA-and-NBCUniversal-through-2028-Supporting-Health-Equity.html
- USOPC Announcement: usopc.org/media/news/usopc/062023-lilly-announces-partnerships-with-la28-team-usa-and-nbcuniversal-supporting-health-equity
- Lilly Brand Partners: lilly.com/about/brand-partners
Industry Analysis
- Fierce Pharma: Lilly inks expanded Olympics deal
- Campaign US: Chief corporate brand officer Lina Polimeni on Eli Lilly's 'big evolution' in marketing
- MM+M: Inside Eli Lilly and Company's multi-year Team USA partnership
- PR Week: Eli Lilly partners with Team U.S.A. through 2028 Olympic Games
Financial Filings
- Lilly Q4 2024 Earnings Report (February 2025)
- Lilly 2025 Revenue Guidance (December 2024)
End of Research Brief