Dramatic Transformation

Client: Asics

ASICS stands for 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano' meaning ‘A Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. In 2022, the connection between physical movement and mental health faced its greatest challenge, with exercise culture increasingly becoming about getting the perfect body – with a focus on extreme physical transformations - while the subtle mental health benefits of movement were overlooked.

This issue was most evident in the flood of ‘before and after’ transformation pictures on social media – all suggesting exercise isn’t valid unless you’re changing your appearance. The trend was having a huge negative impact, with ASICS research showing 53 per cent of people feel insecure about their bodies after seeing them, while 73 per cent believe society's obsession with the perfect body is damaging mental health. To challenge society’s focus on exercising purely for aesthetic transformation and highlight the immediate mental transformation it delivers, ASICS’ hijacked the demotivating 'before/after' exercise transformation photo trend by photographing celebrity ambassadors before and after 15 mins and 9 seconds of movement – the minimum amount of time proven to uplift One’s mind. Four days before World Mental Health Day, talent across Europe shared their #dramatictransformation images on social – provoking a cultural reaction at the absence of extreme physical transformation. Following the uproar, on World Mental Health Day, ASICS revealed the images celebrated the invisible mental transformation from a small amount of exercise – with coverage and conversation sparking a wave of public support that changed the face of the #dramatictransformation hashtag and ASICS’ reputation across 20 markets.