Toxicity is at an all-time high, according to unnamed experts. There’s toxicity in the workplace, toxicity online, and toxicity in the air. Toxicity has even seeped into entire industries.
As a result, Virgin Active, a chain of health clubs in the U.K and beyond, is calling on people to rebel against the toxicity of the wellness industry in a new global campaign from Amsterdam-based agency We Are Pi.
The new direction for the brand is not timid. It’s playful, but Virgin Active ain’t playin’.
Gabi Mostert, Group Creative Director at Virgin Active, says, “Squaring up to toxic wellness in an entertaining way that’s designed to spark conversation and public scrutiny. 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.”
Andy Tomkins, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Active, says, “People are increasingly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of conflicting opinions and can be seduced by the promise of a quick fix that can do more harm than good.”
There’s a vast catalog of complaints about wellness to pull from, giving Virgin Active fit legs to run on. Eloise Hendy of The Independent, for one, writes:
The entire concept of wellness is founded on the idea that just because you aren’t sick, it doesn’t mean you’re not unwell. This means that the wellness industry relies on widespread sections of the global population regarding themselves as unhealthy, along with wealthy, well-heeled women diagnosing themselves as not up to scratch – then splashing the cash to try and fix it.
A fitness club might be easily grouped within the wellness category. Virgin Active doesn’t want any such confusion to linger. They run clubs where you get fit. And to keep the clubs full, they run the sort of ads that get attention.
