Equinox has just released its largest-ever out-of-home campaign prioritizing long-term commitment and dedication over short-term decisions. The campaign titled “We don’t speak January” comes at a time when most people are making fleeting promises and changes for the new year.
The luxury fitness company decided to raise its voice against inconsistent and fleeting New Year resolutions that rarely ever signal a significant change in one’s life. It’s a momentous occasion that makes it easy to promise big, then forget all about it as the year progresses.
“We don’t speak January” calls out the first month of the year and all the meaningless “new year, new me” resolutions that rarely live long enough to see February arrive. Instead, the brand campaign celebrates the longstanding commitment to fitness, i.e., treating fitness as a lifestyle rather than a passing fancy.
The independent creative agencyCollins participated in the campaign that shuns fleetingness and glorifies dedication.
“We believe January is a farce, laden with mantras and affirmations that are pleasant for three weeks, but never push you further,” said Will Mayer, vice president and executive creative director at Equinox. “Equinox is not buying in. Equinox exemplifies the belief that life is forged at the extremes, and because we are for people who constantly push themselves to those extremes, we can’t in good conscience support the ‘new year, new me’ movement that happens every January.”
And how did Collins and Equinox decide to show they’re being serious? By having the entire chain prevent new customers from attaining Equinox memberships on New Year’s Day.
That way, no one looking to fulfill a short-lived New Year’s lie could pay for a gym membership. It could have been a way for the gym to see who would return the following year and who didn’t really care about the fitness lifestyle they were promoting.
The creative also signals a change from “photographic campaigns to monochromatic messaging that challenges and questions the norms of the wellness industry,” added Mayer.
The OOH portion of the campaign will include a New York Times full-page ad, digital marketing, paid social, in clubs, and Equinox’s website and social accounts.
The visual elements that people will be able to see across Equinox gyms and in city streets will feature messages like “January promises and doesn't deliver, we don’t speak January” and “January will not text you back next month, we don’t speak January.”
