Given the number of exercise-themed ads and well-toned models gracing our screens every day, it's quite easy to forget that voluntary exercise is a relatively new phenomenon. The first "gymnasiums" opened in Persia 3,000 years ago, but recreational workouts as we know them today didn't get popular until the jogging and aerobics crazes of the '70s and '80s and the gym industry boom of later years.
A new campaign promoting Samsung's Galaxy S7 + Gear Fit2 watch reminds viewers that the very idea of setting aside time to gather in a common space and force ourselves to do physically uncomfortable things in the interest of improving our health and appearance is actually pretty damn weird.
No, really. Think about it.
Each January, frequent gym-goers roll their eyes at the newbies who joined as part of a New Year's resolution that often ends in February. But in the next spot, Wieden + Kennedy Portland pokes fun at the fact that this happens outside your local Equinox as well—and it can be a recurring struggle for regular Joes.
In the final ad, fantasy and reality meet on a Manhattan street corner; awkwardness ensues.
Wieden + Kennedy has taken a similar "how weird is this" creative tack in the past, most prominently with ESPN's "It's Not Crazy, It's Sports" campaign. One may note the dramatic difference between the men trying valiantly to lose a few pounds in the "Honey" and "Mannequin" spots above with the extremely idealized figures in W+K's most recent work for Equinox.
This comparison also serves to illustrate how the exercise industry has changed over the past 30-plus years, moving from Jane Fonda's VHS aerobics to "luxury gyms" complete with spas, juice bars and "gleaming white bathrooms with fluffy towels."
That said, Samsung has a clear message regarding the Galaxy S7 + Gear Fit2: It can help you organize your workout and stick to a plan whether you're a rough Tough Mudder or a (very) reluctant runner.
CREDITS
Client: Samsung
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland
Ad: "Working Out Is Crazy"
Creative Directors: Craig Allen, Tim Roan, Micah Walker
Copywriter: Derek Szynal
Art Director: Robert Kendall
Executive Producer: Erika Madison
Producer: Jules Brown
Account Director: Mimi St. Gelais
Management Supervisor: Drew Widell
Account Executives: Tori Misell, Megan Riehl
Assistant Account Executive: Michael Devine
Group Strategy Director: Bruno Frankel
Strategy Director: Tom Suharto
Junior Strategist: Jordan Aftanas
Project Management: Laurie Holtz
Business Affairs: Karen Crossley, Amber Lavender
Art Producer: Heather Hanrahan
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Joe Staples, Susan Hoffman
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Steve Ayson
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Producer: Laurie Boccaccio
Production Supervisor: Yianni Papadopoulos
Editorial Company: Final Cut
Head of Production: Suzy Ramirez
Editor: Crispin Struthers
Producer: Ana Orrach
VFX Company: The Mill
Colourist: Adam Scott
2D Lead Artist: Adam Lambert
Producer: Daniel Midgley
Associate Producer: Karina Slater
VFX Supervisor: Kathy Siegel
Sound Company: duotone audio group
Managing Director: David Leinheardt
Executive Producer: Ross Hopman
Creative Director: Jack Livesey
Producer: Gio Lobato
Mix Company: Lime Studios
Mixer: Loren Silber
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Audio Assistant: Mark Nieto
Ads: "Honey," "Mannequin"
Creative Directors: Craig Allen, Tim Roan, Micah Walker
Copywriter: Reuben Hower
Honey: Andy Ferguson
Mannequin: Derek Szynal
Art Director: Aramis Isreal
Honey: Brandon Mugar
Mannequin: Rob Kendall
Executive Producer: Erika Madison
Producer: Ricara Stokes
Account Director: Mimi St. Gelais
Management Supervisor: Drew Widell
Account Executive: Megan Riehl
Assistant Account Executive: Michael Devine
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Joe Staples, Susan Hoffman
Strategist: Bruno Frankel
Project Management: Amanda Rudolph
Business Affairs: Anna Beth Nagel, Amber Lavender
Art Producer: Grace Petrenka
Production Company: Furlined
Director: Nick Ball
Senior Executive Producer: David Thorne
Head of Production: Rebecca Davis
Executive Producer: Steve Ross
Producer: Karen Chen
Editorial Company: Arcade
Editor: Geoff Hounsell
Assistant Editor: Laura Sanford/Andy Trecki
Executive Producer: Crissy DeSimone
Producer: Leah Carnahan, Adam Becht
VFX Company: Timber
Executive Producer: Sabrina Elizondo
Producer: Lauren Loftus
Songs:
Mannequin: "Hello New Day" by Johnson & Drake
Honey – "Jeans On" by David Dundas
Sound Company: Walker
Mix Company: Lime
Mixer: Sam Casas
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan