GLP-1 giant Eli Lilly has once again taken to the medium of short film to deliver an important message about obesity.
In early 2024, the Big Pharma debuted a pair of unbranded shorts entitled “Big Night” and “Shame,” both of which focused on weight stigma. The former took aim at the off-label use of weight-loss meds by Hollywood stars and others who don’t have an actual medical need for the drugs, while the latter put the spotlight on the societal shame that lurks “like a shadow” for many people who are overweight or with obesity, ending with the message that “health is not about what weight we lose, it’s about all the things a body can gain.”
Lilly is doubling down on that message in its newest film, “My Focus,” which debuted earlier this month and was made in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland. Unlike its predecessors, which travel through different scenes and storylines, the new minute-long spot stays in a tight close-up on one person’s face the entire time.
That choice was deliberate, in an effort to “reflect a more personal, lived experience with obesity and the real cultural pressures people face,” Lina Polimeni, Lilly’s chief consumer marketing officer, told Fierce Pharma Marketing via email.
“The film was designed to feel like a person-to-person conversation in order to challenge the viewer’s assumptions about obesity and to keep the focus on health rather than appearance,” she said.
The short starts with its star shown only in silhouette, saying, “Come on, let’s hear it. You think I need your advice. You think I should go on a diet.”
Cameras flash, and the man is suddenly cast under a spotlight as he notes: “I’ve been dieting since I was 12.”
“No matter what I do, you’re gonna have your own thoughts. So get it all out,” he continues. “And while you’re in the comment section, I’ll be focusing on what really matters, like how I feel when I’m waking up in the morning, like showing up for people I love.”
After the man concludes by stating, “My health is my focus, and my body is nobody’s business but mine,” the screen fades to black once more, and text appears reading, “There are a lot of opinions about weight. It takes strength to focus on health.”
Lilly’s overarching goal with “My Focus” is to “reframe how obesity is talked about in culture,” Polimeni said, by continuing the work of “Big Night” and “Shame” to push back against societal stigma that focuses on the outward appearance of obesity rather than its being a complex chronic disease.
“We believe obesity is a matter of health, not weight or appearance, and this film reflects our commitment to challenging weight-obsessed cultural narratives and championing health-centered conversations about obesity,” the exec said.
The “My Focus” campaign will run across digital, social and print channels through the first quarter of this year, including high-profile placements during major live TV events like CBS’ New Year’s Eve programming, the college football championship game earlier this week and more.
As has been Lilly’s wont with past short films and other outreach efforts, this one, too, is meant to make a timely connection to a current cultural moment—in this case, amid chatter about New Year’s resolutions.
“As a medicine company that puts health above all, we aren’t just engaging in passive advertising. We’re committed to active cultural interventions that position Lilly as a credible, people-first leader in shifting conversations about health,” Polimeni said, adding, “We believe people deserve respectful, health-centered dialogue—especially during the New Year, when weight-focused messaging is often at its loudest.”
For their part, the “Big Night” and “Shame” films both arrived during 2024’s Hollywood awards season, when many celebrities were suspected of using GLP-1s simply to fit into a smaller outfit for the red carpet. Meanwhile, in the last year, other emotional short films on breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease have lined up with the Grammy Awards and the Thanksgiving holiday period, respectively, while another promoting “healthy skepticism” toward compounded and counterfeit drugs went live during the 2025 Oscars.
Outside of its filmmaking work, Lilly has also tapped into major cultural moments with its 2026 Winter Olympics team-ups, as well as its sponsorship of an eczema-focused challenge on a recent episode of “Project Runway,” and the breast cancer detection push it brought to multiple women’s pro and college basketball events last year.
“Health is one of the most important things in the world, and yet, it’s often not part of the conversations or moments that shape culture,” Polimeni said of Lilly’s practice of linking its health messaging to broader cultural happenings. “The Lilly brand works set out to change this, to make health and life go hand-in-hand.”