Factor, the ready-to-eat meal kit brand, is partnering with Serena Williams for its newly launched “Let’s Eat Real” campaign.
The newest ad spot, which will air throughout the US Open, plays off of Williams’ return to tennis, with the initial ad spot opening on a tense team meeting about her career. When Williams announces she has changed her mind, the ad reveals that the tennis star is just deciding which Factor meal to eat for dinner. Another shows Williams in match mode with a timer ticking down: she is facing off with her microwave as she prepares another Factor dinner.
The partnership is set to be a multi-year collaboration, featuring a rotating menu of meals selected by Williams each month. The current lineup of the Serena Williams x Factor Collection includes a combination of high-protein dishes and some options specifically designed for people taking GLP-1 drugs.
Factor’s marketing team started courting Williams in January this year and signed her in June, Factor Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Stadler told ADWEEK. Executives at Factor had their eyes on Williams for a brand partnership months before she announced her return to tennis — so when Williams shared that she would be playing in the 2026 US Open, Factor jumped on the opportunity to market around a cultural moment.
Factor teamed up with Maximum Effort, the agency co-founded by Ryan Reynolds, to accelerate the campaign to align with Williams’ announcement. They squeezed what was meant to be a months-long lead-up into just a week of ideating and planning, culminating in a half-day shoot near Williams’ home in Palm Beach.
It was the fastest campaign turnaround Factor had ever attempted, Stadler told ADWEEK: The team filmed two full advertisements, 30 still photos, and an hour of UGC in that one quick shoot.
“We moved quickly when we saw the opportunity,” Stadler told ADWEEK. “One of our core values as a brand and as a company is the power of agility, so we put that in action with this campaign.”
Even before the partnership with Williams, Factor was making a push to include more GLP-1-friendly meal options, Stadler told ADWEEK. Over the past year and a half, the Factor menu has gone from zero to 20 percent GLP-1-friendly, which typically means small portions and nutrient-dense meals.
Williams’ athletic success and celebrity status made her a top prospect for Factor’s global ambassador role, Stadler said — and the fact that she’s been open about taking a GLP-1 was just “the icing on the cake.”
Williams, 44, is also a celebrity ambassador for the telehealth platform Ro, which provides access to GLP-1 drugs. The tennis legend has been open about taking Zepbound to aid with weight loss after her second pregnancy. Since her Wimbledon appearance earlier this summer, she is the most prominent athlete to compete at the elite level that has admitted to taking GLP-1 drugs.
