Gym chain Virgin Active is encouraging people to rebel against the ‘toxicity’ of the wellness industry by asking them to ‘leave the cult, join the club’ in a new global campaign.
Developed by creative agency We Are Pi in its debut work for Virgin Active, the campaign will be centred around a gritty 50-second spot that exposes dodgy fitness influencers and obscure online health fads for what they really are: fiction.
Featuring a remixed ‘Ode to Joy’, the spot celebrates the benefits of true fitness and wellbeing, which are naturally on offer across all Virgin Active gyms.
“Beyond the film, we’re taking our message to the streets through punchy copy and visuals. Squaring up to toxic wellness in an entertaining way that’s designed to spark conversation and public scrutiny,” Virgin Active group creative director, Gabi Mostert said.
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“Our message is simple. We’re f*cking sick of it too. Come to one of our clubs, have a smoothie, move your body, lie in the sauna, whatever. Forget the noise and come as you are. Listen to nobody, but your body.”
Premiering this week, the brand’s creative will run across TV, online, video-on-demand, digital out-of-home, and out-of-home throughout UK, Italy, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore and Australia. This will be followed by a second burst in January 2025.
We Are Pi CEO, Alex Bennett Grant added: “Leave The Cult Join The Club is the point of view the wellness industry needs, from an iconic brand that, at its best, is the cheeky cultural provocateur we all want in our lives.”
