By R. Larsson, Advertising Week
Influencers on social media can be huge catalysts for people to look negatively at their own progress and lifestyle. Followers see the picture-perfect life with only the best moments displayed on Instagram… but not so much the struggles they have overcome, the less-than-perfect parts of life or what they have done to get to where they are today.
In Bulk’s newest campaign, You vs You, the team want to spread the message that nobody is perfect, emphasize that everyone is on their own fitness journey trying to get where they need to be, and that the only person you are competing with is you.
January is the biggest and busiest month of the year for those working in the health and fitness space, so Bulk wanted to trigger sales and raise the conversation around the brand. Typically, Bulk™ executes heavy trade marketing in January and then continues to do so throughout the year. But with the help of Initials CX, the team at Bulk worked to elevate and create brand activation videos, along with seven episodic content pieces in both long-form and social edits. This worked to trigger a broader response to the Bulk™ brand during a time of consumer need.
Initials said that working with Bulk on the You vs You campaign throughout the last three months was a “smooth and easy process”. Hands-on throughout the pitching and brainstorming phase of the process, Bulk discussed three different routes, all with the same ideal message, before selecting the winning concept which formed the basis of the You vs You campaign. Initials worked with the client to develop the idea and transform the concept of ‘fear’ into ‘internal comparison’ through speaking to real people in the fitness sector. Once this was aligned, the creative team were able to delve into what this really means to someone on their own fitness journey.
The idea went from conception to delivery within the space of eight weeks, but the tight deadline did threaten some issues in the beginning, with the team unsure they would be able to turn around the campaign before the new year began. Initials and Bulk worked on the project right up to the day of production, with the support of Crxoss, an artist management agency representing photographers and CGI Studios. Because of the tight deadline, it was logistically challenging to meet with the brand ambassadors for shoots, but with the help of the whole team working together, Initials and Bulk managed to produce a campaign to be proud of.
The You vs You campaign explores the seven ambassadors’ lives, and discovers the life-changing moments during their fitness journeys that transformed the lowest of lows into mind-blowing highs. The campaign shared the inner monologues of the ambassadors and what fuels their transitions from self-doubt to belief. As identified by Bulk during the preparatory work for the campaign, January can be a tough month for some people while they get back on track with fitness – and seeing influencers’ perfect lives may have more of a negative effect on people than a positive one.
Billie Bradberry, CMO at Bulk™ says: “As brands, we’re able to influence behaviors and perceptions. Social media pressure can hurt people, but we have the opportunity to counter that by creating a narrative that is valuable, safe and helpful. This is why we’re doing it.”
In the end, we’re all guilty of comparing ourselves to others. But we need to ‘run our own race’, and this is what the You vs You campaign champions. Using emotive imagery and real-life examples from Bulk brand ambassadors works to five insight into the minds of everyday people on their own fitness journeys. It shows that everyone experiences struggles, and even the most aspirational of people may have struggled to get to where they are today – and most importantly, it shows that that’s okay. With the campaign and with its overall mission, Bulk hopes to switch the narrative and make people realise that the only person you are really competing with is yourself.
