Wellness marketing / Asics could have applied itself to depict the new performative heights accessible to their consumers through physical training. Except people don’t need reminding that exercising is good for them. In fact, it’s safe to say that they’re pretty obsessed with keeping fit. This fixation is reflected in the numbers, with the fitness industry predicted to be worth $131.9bn by 2028. The phenomenon is such that historian Jürgen Martschukat has declared that we live in The Age of Fitness.
But Asics’ research points out that our preoccupation with being in shape isn’t without problems. The study reveals that 73% of Brits think that the societal focus on the perfect body has a negative impact on their mental health – what’s more, body transformation photos demotivated 80% of respondents and made 48% feel insecure about the way their body looks. In light of these findings, the Dramatic Transformation campaign stands as both a striking visual reminder of the psychological benefits of exercise and a healthy incentive to hit the gym.
Also, portraying influencers before and after a single workout allows Asics to turn the body transformation phenomenon on its head into something inspirational and fit (pun intended) for the times. Asics’ transformation photos shift the focus away from aesthetics and towards mental health at a time when consumers care hugely about wellbeing and the wellness sector is booming. By setting itself up as an antidote to the damaging effects of gym culture on mental wellbeing, Asics makes itself relevant in a way that ties into people’s growing appetite in everything wellness-related, a topic we cover at length in our Wellness Marketing trend.
Legitimate voice / With the plethora of actors that operate in the sportswear category, finding a distinctive positioning is crucial to stand out. But it’s no easy task. This is especially true with the sector flooded with long-standing brand messages about performance, creativity and perseverance. Recently, Asics has focused instead on mental wellness and fortitude – the brand’s original purpose and overall mission (Asics is an acronym that stands for the Latin Anima Sana in Corpore Sano – ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’). For example, in 2019, it created Eternal Run, a race with no pre-determined route or finish line. Jamie Cordwell, executive creative director at Edelman UK, explained the campaign’s ethos to Contagious: ‘Showing someone running around a racetrack for two hours to set a record is interesting, but what really matters to people is their own finish lines, their records and their achievements.’
Dramatic Transformation builds on this idea of exercise as a force for good, adding to its credentials by choosing contributors that are recognised faces in the body positivity space. It also made sure it acted in accordance with what it preaches: Asics EMEA has pledged to ban exercise transformation photographs that focus purely on aesthetic transformation on its channels.
