Asics Shares ‘Before & After’ Transformations To Promote Healthy State Of Mind
In today’s society, where working out is used to gain the most Insta-worthy body, people are trading their mental physique for likes on social media.
Asics Frontrunner is steering people away from this mindset with a new campaign highlighting how vital exercise is for our minds.
The advertising stunt involves a series of prints that divert from the usual “before-and-after” transformation pictures used to celebrate one’s physical journey. Instead of models with dramatic changes to their bodies, the images used are almost identical.
The core difference is that the “after” image depicts someone who looks more content with themselves than in their “before” photo.
The exercise brand is urging the public to turn the conversation away from trying to look their best to the point where it mentally exhausts them, and instead focus on working out to make their minds happy.
British personalities such as Dr Alex George and philanthropist Jada Sezer feature in the shoot. Their pictures were taken by Sophie Harris-Taylor after 15 minutes and nine seconds of working out, which is the estimated amount of time needed for our brains to begin to show signs of uplift.
A study conducted by Asics demonstrates that 80% of people are demoralized after viewing transformation images, and 48% feel worse about their bodies.
George tells of his workout journey and how he used to overtrain while on the television reality series, Love Island. It eventually took a toll on his mental health, and he discovered that once he shifted his focus to improving his mind, he could develop a healthier relationship with exercise.
The campaign is launching in time for World Mental Health Day and will be stationed at various gyms and out-of-home locations in Britain.
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This #WorldMentalHealthDay, help us challenge society’s focus on exercising for appearance.
— ASICS Europe (@ASICSeurope) October 10, 2022
📸 Share your exercise before and after pictures with #DramaticTransformation to show us how movement makes you feel.#SoundMindSoundBody pic.twitter.com/H3jVHhbr6W
[via The Drum and Campaign Live, cover image via Asics Frontrunner]
