August 3, 2026 | In the News

Advil’s Partnership With USMNT’s Jozy Altidore Draws Attention to ‘Rewriting Pain’ Campaign

The blitz of advertising and marketing during this year’s FIFA World Cup offered the usual array of beer ads, commercials for aspirational athletic wear, movie trailers, and pitches for technology products. But some tie-ins to the world’s largest sporting event were less obvious, such as Advil’s partnership with a World Cup athlete that helped highlight the company’s ongoing campaign focused on athletes and pain management.

As detailed in a recent BuzzFeed Business article, Advil brought on U.S. men’s national team player Jozy Altidore as part of a World Cup marketing effort that included a New York City soccer activation, creating a real-world environment for potential customers to get excited about the event while learning how Advil helps those who participate in sports.

Altidore’s involvement as an athlete who has dealt with pain personally and the New York campaign were meant to bring attention to Advil’s “Rewriting Pain” campaign, centered on a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults 18 and older who are current or former athletes conducted by Wakefield Research. The questionnaire asked about their feelings and experiences around the “No Pain, No Gain” mentality that athletes often encounter.

The research found that nearly four out of five (79%) believe “push through the pain” attitudes make athletes ignore body signals. An overwhelming 86% believe this type of messaging puts the health of athletes at long-term risk.

Nathan Richter, Wakefield Senior Partner, said that Advil’s findings point to an important shift in the way athletes think about pain. “Advil has honed in on a major problem in sports: a focus on short-term winning versus long-term wellness, which can be dangerous for athletes. Their messaging isn’t just focused on selling a product, it seeks to change attitudes that lead to bad outcomes for people who are active in competitive sports.”   

Other findings that Advil has drawn from Wakefield’s survey results:

• 78% of athletes have played through pain to avoid letting others down.
• 87% find that sports culture treats pain as a necessary part of success.
• 80% have continued competing in a sport despite being in pain because winning felt more important in the moment.

Natalie Halpern, Senior Director of Marketing for Advil at Haleon, said the company plans to continue to go beyond traditional advertising to get its message out. She told BuzzFeed Business, “I want to continue to pair bold, creative with meaningful consumer experiences. I think there’s magic in that and I’m excited for what’s next.”