Asics subverts weight loss content with body positivity campaign

UK – Asics has launched a new campaign in response to rising demand for weight loss content on social media. Using the clickbait headline 15 Minute Weight Loss to attract those searching for weight loss content, Asics partnered with media agency Golin and body positivity influencers to create a series of 15-minute exercise videos focused on the mental health benefits of movement.

According to the sportswear company, searches for ‘quick weight loss’ have increased by 581% in the past year, despite the growing body positivity movement. Asics wants to shift the narrative around exercise towards the mental health benefits of working out, based on a global Asics study conducted by Professor Brendon Stubbs from King’s College London, which found that just 15 minutes and nine seconds of physical activity triggers positive mental health benefits. 

The campaign comes at a time when weight-loss drugs discourse is louder than ever and it feels like we’ve re-entered a Body Hostility Era. By taking a leaf out of Subversive Sustainability Ads’ book, Asics puts an unexpected spin on a delicate topic to cut through the noise and revive body-positive thinking.