Advil has launched a new campaign called “Rewriting Pain,” and it is putting Jozy Altidore at the center of the message. The ad push uses the former U.S. Men’s National Team forward to challenge the sports-world habit of treating pain as something to ignore.

The timing is deliberate. With soccer’s summer spotlight building and the 2026 World Cup approaching, the company is trying to reach athletes and former athletes while the game already has their attention. Natalie Halpern, speaking for the campaign, said it is meant to “kind of flip the script, rewrite the story on what it means to have real strength,” and added that “sports is one great place to do that, but it’s really a message that resonates broadly.”

The campaign leans on research that helps explain why the message is landing now. Advil said it surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who were current or former athletes and had competed in collegiate, club or recreational sports. In that group, 79% said phrases such as “push through the pain” can encourage people to ignore body signals, 86% said those phrases can put long-term health at risk, and more than 80% said sports culture treats pain as a necessary part of success.

That is a sharp message for a pain-relief brand to be carrying. Advil’s pitch tells people to stop as soon as they feel pain, with Halpern saying there is “no shame in stopping to treat it” and that there is “no badge of honor for pushing through.” The company is asking people to treat pain as a signal instead of a test of toughness, even though its core business depends on selling medicine to people who want relief from pain in the first place.

Halpern said the goal is not limited to elite sports, either. She said soccer is a natural stage for the campaign because players can run five to eight miles in a game, and she pointed to the buzz around the 2026 World Cup as the reason to bring the message to life now. Advil is also watching digital engagement and how consumers respond to alternatives to over-the-counter medicine, including physical therapy and ice baths, but the bigger bet is that a star athlete can help shift a long-running sports mantra before the next World Cup puts the issue in front of a far larger audience.