The vitamin business has always been built on the premise that something is missing — from your diet, your energy level, your general sense of well-being. Now Olly, the gummy supplement brand, is suggesting that what might also be missing is permission.

A new campaign from Olly, which began running on May 1 to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, features the tennis star Naomi Osaka encouraging women to "honor their minds and bodies and choose themselves without guilt," as the company put it in a statement. The centerpiece is a 30-second spot, produced by General Admission TV, that opens with a statistic — 63 percent of women struggle to prioritize their own health — before Ms. Osaka speaks about the value of declining things.

"I learned to push back on expectations, to prioritize my family, and focus on my mental health," she says in the spot.

(What, you were expecting the ads to say, "Push through it"?)

Ms. Osaka, who has spoken publicly about her own mental health struggles, including her withdrawal from the 2021 French Open, is joining Olly as a brand ambassador under a one-year partnership. The arrangement will include additional content and activations "informed by her personal wellness journey," the company said — the sort of language that has become mandatory in wellness marketing.

The campaign is running across streaming platforms including Prime Video and NBCUniversal properties, as well as on YouTube, with media buying handled by Tinuiti. On May 3, the brand introduced out-of-home elements in New York, including a large LED display in Times Square and a takeover of the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street subway station, along with wild postings at 50 locations across Manhattan.

Olly has also announced $1.5 million in mental health grant commitments over the next three years, beginning with a $30,000 donation to the SeekHer Foundation.

For Ms. Osaka, 27, the deal is the latest in a portfolio of endorsements — Nike, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Panasonic, Mastercard — that have helped her amass a net worth estimated at $45 million. She is also a co-founder of the Kinlo skincare line and the Evolve talent agency.

Saying no, it seems, still leaves room for saying yes to quite a lot.

Original story published in MediaPost: "Olly Serves Up Naomi Osaka In Self-Affirming Campaign"