Eli Lilly's new short film 'My Focus' frames obesity around health rather than appearance

Eli Lilly released a one-minute short film called "My Focus" earlier in January, the third in a series of unbranded ads that argue obesity should be treated as a health condition rather than a matter of appearance ^[1].

The film, made with the agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, holds a single tight close-up on one man's face for the full minute, a break from Lilly's two earlier shorts, which moved between scenes and storylines ^[1]. Lina Polimeni, the company's chief consumer marketing officer, said the framing was chosen to feel like one person speaking directly to another and to push viewers to question what they assume about obesity ^[1].

The script opens with the man in silhouette: "Come on, let's hear it. You think I need your advice. You think I should go on a diet" ^[1]. Cameras flash, he steps into a spotlight and says, "I've been dieting since I was 12" ^[1]. He invites the audience to air whatever opinions they have, then says he will spend his time elsewhere, on how he feels when he wakes up and on showing up for people he loves ^[1]. He closes with, "My health is my focus, and my body is nobody's business but mine" ^[1]. Text then appears on a black screen: "There are a lot of opinions about weight. It takes strength to focus on health" ^[1].

Lilly's first two films landed in early 2024. "Big Night" took aim at off-label use of weight-loss medicines by Hollywood stars and others without a medical need for them, while "Shame" centered on the social stigma around higher body weight, ending with the idea that health is about what a body can gain rather than the pounds it sheds ^[1]. Both arrived during awards season, when speculation about celebrity GLP-1 use was widespread ^[1].

Polimeni said the goal is to change how obesity is discussed in culture, with Lilly's stated position that obesity is a complex chronic disease and a matter of health, not weight or looks ^[1]. She described the effort as an "active cultural intervention" rather than passive advertising ^[1].

Placements include CBS' New Year's Eve programming and the college football championship game played the week before the article was published ^[1]. The campaign runs on digital, social and print channels through the first quarter of 2026 ^[1]. Polimeni tied the timing to New Year's resolutions, saying weight-focused messaging tends to be loudest then ^[1].

The film does not name a Lilly product, and no new clinical results, label changes, prices or coverage decisions came with it ^[1]. Novo Nordisk has run its own weight-stigma advertising, including at a major New York City commuter hub ^[1]. Lilly has attached health messages to other cultural moments, including 2026 Winter Olympics partnerships and a breast cancer awareness segment on "Project Runway" ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Nothing here changes what a clinician can prescribe, what a pharmacy stocks or what an insurer pays for ^[1]. No trial data and no regulatory news accompanied the film ^[1].

What it does reflect is how a major maker of GLP-1 medicines wants obesity framed in public discussion, as a chronic condition to be treated rather than a cosmetic goal ^[1]. People who take or are considering semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) may see more advertising that avoids weight-loss imagery. Whether that shifts public attitudes, prescribing habits or insurer behavior has not been reported ^[1].

For anyone weighing treatment, the film carries no information about how any drug works, who it is approved for or what it costs. Those details are not addressed in the campaign ^[1].

What happens next

The campaign is scheduled to run through the first quarter of 2026 ^[1]. Lilly has not said whether more films will follow or whether the effort will continue past that window ^[1]. No clinical or regulatory milestones are tied to the film ^[1].