Usain Bolt built his legendary athletic legacy by moving faster than anyone else in human history. The retired Jamaican sprint star is now using his massive platform to ask the public to slow down. Bolt recently became the face of Jardiance’s latest healthcare campaign, utilizing his reputation as the world’s fastest man to raise critical awareness about chronic kidney disease (CKD). This unique marketing effort has already generated a massive surge in digital engagement.

Google Trends data cited by the Jamaica Gleaner showed that searches for Jardiance increased by 50 percent in the United States compared with the same period a year earlier. Global search queries simultaneously rose by 20 percent. This massive statistical increase coincided directly with the launch of the new commercial. The television advertisement utilizes a highly unusual premise for the Olympic legend.

Titled “Slow Can Be Good Too,” the campaign was publicly running by June 2026. In the roughly one-minute television advert, Bolt is seen wearing his Olympic medals and a Jamaica-inspired sweatsuit while carrying out a series of slow everyday activities. He tends to a bonsai plant, waters a lawn, cleans a carved wooden turtle, drinks tea, collects stamps and even knits a scarf marked with the word “slow.”

The unusual scenes are designed to reinforce the campaign’s central message. Bolt became famous for moving at extraordinary speed, but Jardiance’s message focuses on slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease. Bolt also makes clear that he does not have CKD himself. “I’m taking it slow to remind you that Jardiance is a little pill proven to slow the progression of CKD,” Bolt said.

Jardiance contains empagliflozin and is marketed by German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim and US drugmaker Eli Lilly. The campaign focuses on awareness of CKD and Jardiance’s role in helping slow the progression of the disease. The partnership with Bolt extends beyond the commercial. Creative License helped arrange the collaboration, with Inizio Evoke serving as the lead healthcare communications agency. Bolt also appeared at a national sales meeting for the brand as part of the partnership.

The rise in searches went beyond people simply looking up the name of the drug. Searches for “Jardiance savings card” increased 170%, while searches for “Jardiance coupon” and “Jardiance generic” each rose 60%. Those figures point to growing interest in the cost and availability of the medication as well.

The partnership is a noteworthy evolution for Bolt, who is known for his athleticism and endurance. The man who used to be a record hunter on the track is now back on screen encouraging folks to take it easy. But Jardiance isn’t the only campaign that has leveraged his international fame to market a brand or raise awareness of a bigger message.

Usain Bolt expands his commercial reach with new campaign

On August 3rd, 2021, AvaTrade revealed its new partnership with Bolt, both of which have a story to tell: the story of the elite athlete and the trader. The campaign was based on discipline, confidence, setting goals and being willing to make bold decisions. The collaboration led to the creation of AvaTrade’s “Be More Bolt” campaign that was rolled out on 21st October 2021.

The multi-channel campaign included a 30-second TV spot with Bolt as the world’s fastest man and as a man who was out there playing around with life beyond athletics, such as investing.Bolt also has a more recent superhero campaign, in August of 2026.The material, in which the Jamaican legend is seen wearing a superhero outfit, was uploaded on August 13, and the project was tied to Wonderhood Studios.

Taken together, these campaigns show how Bolt has continued to use the global recognition he built through athletics in very different forms of advertising