Symetra is using the Winter Olympics buzz to make a statement about retirement, recruiting Olympians Tara Lipinski and Hilary Knight to teach the WNBA’s Sue Bird their sports.

Alongside agency Copacino Fujikado, the insurance company has prioritized athlete-led content in a new campaign aiming to challenge the idea that retiring means slowing down. Bird is the star of its long-term “Plan Well, Play Well” series, which follows her life after the WNBA and pursuit of skills outside basketball.

“The work has evolved as how we view retirees and retirement has evolved in the past decade,” said Mike Hayward, chief creative officer at Copacino Fujikado. “It was more about peace of mind, but as younger boomers and older Gen Xers begin to retire, it really is about finding that next chapter for most people.”

The campaign launched the day before the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremonies and is running nationally through April 30 with a $2 million investment across YouTube, YouTube Shorts, and Meta. As brands look to build more culturally-relevant social content, behind-the-scenes athlete storytelling can clarify their purpose and extend their relevance beyond core sports fans.

Inside the ‘Plan Well, Play Well’ partnership

While Bird offers a “light take on retirement” as a 40-year-old, Symetra CMO Trinity Parker said she is confident the tone will resonate across the retirement demographic.

“[Retirement] is not the couple sitting on the beach slowly or sitting in the rocking chair,” she said. “It’s very actively doing things that are really adventurous and fun, and what most people hope their retirement will look like.”

The work also aligns with the growing financial influence of women, who have been largely unrepresented in insurance and finance campaigns, said Parker.

“We know that financial well-being is super top-of-mind for consumers right now, and we need to be talking to women and younger audiences,” she said. “This campaign hits on a lot of those aspirations.”

Why athlete-led content resonates

Brands can build affinity with Olympians by helping them build interests outside of their sport, and this sports-adjacent creator content resonates with fans:

• Nearly half (46%) of total US sports fans and 57% of US Gen Z sports fans follow sports influencers, according to a June 2025 IBM and Morning Consult survey.
• US sports fans look for personal life updates (31%) almost as much as game highlights (34%), according to an April 2025 YouGov survey.

The power of social content around sports has shone during this year’s games, said Nada Bradbury, CEO of AD-ID.

“People are getting even more tuned into these Olympic events because the internet is providing us a look into all of these things behind the scenes,” she said.

Finding cultural resonance

The campaign works because it hits on “some hot cultural touchpoints,” said Zac Baker, director of brand creative at Symetra.

“All eyes are on Hilary Knight as she captains the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) recently expanded Seattle Torrent team, Tara Lipinski is an Olympics commentator and current contestant on NBC’s Emmy award-winning ‘Traitors’ reality show, and hockey is experiencing a huge, no, heated, moment in the spotlight,” he said.

The Olympics is a testament to viewers “taking viewing into their own hands,” diving deep into highlights and athlete backstories that capture their interest, said Bradbury. Tentpole events are now both consumed individually and collectively, which makes brand participation feel like a must.

“It’s such a fantastic moment for our industry to see what live sports does, both in a live and non-live fashion, in bringing folks together and having that interest,” said Bradbury. “No other content can do that across ages and demographics.”

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