New Gym Campaign Video Features Real Members of All Sizes

Gym ads have a tendency to be intimidating — just as walking into the gym can be. When your gym releases a video of chiseled Olympian types with the perfect amount of glistening sweat, and half of the people at said gym look like the models in the ad, it can be pretty daunting just to show up there, no matter what your fitness level.

Blink Fitness knows this, and it’s created ads that won’t scare you away. In its 2017 campaign, “Every Body Happy,” Blink’s members are a testament to the culture at the club, showing everybody that they can be comfortable at the gym, regardless of size, ability, or age.

The ads feature 16 of Blink’s own members. They come in every shape and size — and they all radiate confidence.

Members were asked to audition for the campaign by submitting a photo or video to Instagram that showed off their confidence and by explaining why they should be chosen. The casting panel included actress Dascha Polanco and former NFL punter Steve Weatherford, both Blink members who are outspoken about body positivity.

“At Blink’s casting call, I was truly moved to tears by the strength and courage of these members, whose stories prove there’s more than one reason to go to the gym,” Polanco told PR Newswire. “I struggle daily to find the courage to go to the gym and push myself to continue a healthy lifestyle, which is why it was motivating to see the pure joy and dedication Blink inspired in each member.”

According to a Blink-commissioned survey, 82 percent of Americans say their relationship with their body could be improved, and 64 percent say they find it discouraging to work towards the unrealistic body images they see in the media.

Blink aims to mitigate those unrealistic images. “As consumers, we’re constantly inundated with images of so-called ‘perfect’ bodies, and the fitness industry can be particularly heavy-handed with this,” Ellen Roggemann, vice president of marketing for Blink Fitness, told PR Newswire. “At Blink, we want to redefine the aspirational image of ‘fit,’ to be about feeling confident in your own skin. Who better to help us with this mission than our actual members?”

Roggemann added: “Through this new campaign, consumers will learn about someone like Celestino, who regained the ability to walk again at Blink, or Amy, a working mother of three, who maintains her health — and sanity — by making time for fitness.”

The Blink-commissioned survey also found that 89 percent of Americans feel more confident about themselves when they leave the gym than when they first walk in. If that won’t get you to the gym, we don’t know what will.

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