Home » Fitness Club Equinox Stirs The Pot With New ‘Commit To Something’ Ad Campaign

6 January, 2016

Fitness Club Equinox Stirs The Pot With New ‘Commit To Something’ Ad Campaign

US gym Equinox has used a breastfeeding Lydia Hearst in its latest advertising campaign to encourage people to #committosomething.

And while some are wondering if the fitness club is just jumping on the bandwagon of a somewhat controversial issue with the glamorous ad, others are praising its advocacy. Model and heiress to the mega Hearst publishing empire, Lydia Hearst, appears in the campaign decked out in bling and decadent makeup, holding two babies (not her own, for the record) who are breastfeeding while she sits at a stylish restaurant table. The print, digital and outdoor campaign was created by Wieden + Kennedy New York, and urges viewers to ‘Commit to Something’, with the Equinox tagline, It’s not fitness. It’s life. Social media has revealed mixed feelings on the ad:

@Equinox Love this ad! Breastfeeding and fitness require strength, commitment, and support! Thank you for normalizing breastfeeding!
— Melissa Trahan (@meltrahan09) January 5, 2016

@T4RA72 If a mother nursing her infant children is ugly, we’d hate to see what beauty looks like. #CommitToSomething — Equinox (@Equinox) January 5, 2016

Fashion photographer Steven Klein shot seven new ads in Los Angeles that will appear in the new campaign, which according to the fitness club celebrates various forms of commitment in aspects of life including lifestyle choices, sexuality and women’s rights. Per AdWeek, the brand said the images range “from a young mother unapologetically breastfeeding in public (portrayed by Lydia Hearst), to an activist who is seen fearlessly taking a stand for her cause (featuring Bianca Van Damme, daughter of Jean-Claude Van Damme), to a male cheerleading champion who wasn’t threatened by a stereotype and dedicated himself to winning in his own way (featuring MMA fighter Alan Jouban). All vignettes are a virtuous expression of taking deliberate action, of going ‘all in.’ ” The agency added that committing to a workout alone wasn’t compelling enough, hence the extension into other elements of life. “Committing to a cause. Committing to a belief. Committing to pursuing the almighty dollar. Or even committing to multiple sex partners. The more we stretched the definition, the more interesting the campaign got,” W+K told AdWeek. “It is the responsibility of advertising to communicate modern times and social issues,” photographer Klein added in a statement. “This campaign addresses today’s issues and social commentaries, which is a powerful approach instead of portraying people as superficial objects with no narrative.” Check out some of the other campaigns:

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