Vignettes of people given the confidence to be unconventional through fitness? Or an attempt to trigger a lot of debate?
Is this Wieden + Kennedy New York ad for high-end health club chain, Equinox, daring? Or sensationalist? Let’s assume that W+K is going for standout and recall and not exploiting outré lifestyles to be cool.
Last year’s Equinox Made Me Do It campaign, which also launched in January, showed beautiful people being naughty – to underline the idea that it’s easy to lose your inhibitions when you gain the personal confidence that comes from being fit.
This year’s shows outrageous people – or in W+K’s view, gym-goers who have dared to be bolder with their lives – being (their kind of) normal.
Being fit also brings a sense of pride and empowerment and this is the focus of the new campaign.
Carlos Becil, chief marketing officer, Equinox, commented, “Our members were the true inspiration behind the Equinox Made Me Do It campaign, and this year we saw an opportunity to evolve the narrative and the stories portrayed. Everything we do at Equinox is grounded in the idea of high performance living, empowering our members to be bold, be risk takers and push their limits, inside and outside of the club. This campaign embodies that pride and the adventurous spirit that speaks to the idea that it’s about more than just taking risks, it’s about owning the consequences.”
The online ads, a series of filmic vignettes, and their print and OOH counterparts were shot by bold British fashion photographer, Rankin.
“Having been familiar with the Equinox brand and some of the great advertising they’d done in the past, when I got the call I was excited about the prospect of creating their next campaign as it couldn’t have been closer to my style. The campaign we’ve created is impactful and a brilliant development for the brand, I’m proud to be part of it,” he stated.
The stills and video vignettes will also be promoted on social platforms with the hashtags #equinoxmademedoit.
The ads will also be displayed in Equinox locations throughout New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, Dallas, Washington, DC, London and Toronto.