ASICS rails against workplace mental stress in PSA

Dressed in a formal blazer, shorts, and ASICS shoes, Scottish actor Brian Cox is every bit the world’s scariest boss in a new public service announcement from the running shoe brand. Instead of berating, the Succession boss delivers a sharp instruction: “You need to get away from your desk.”

This may not be what you expect to hear from a boss, but it is exactly what ASICS wants you to do. Over a minute and 14 seconds, Cox demonises the office chair and urges people to escape its clutches. “Run, jump, roller skate, whatever. I don’t care. Just move.”

He calls out to the viewer who refuses to get up: “Look at you, trading your mental health for free fruit.” (A nod to organisations offering food and other perks to keep workers in the office.)

The ad is a result of ASICS’ global State of Mind study, which revealed a strong connection between sedentary behaviour and mental well-being. The study involved 26,000 participants from across 22 markets, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

ASICS discovered that mental health dips and stress levels rise after just two hours of continuous desk work. After four hours of uninterrupted desk time, workers’ stress levels increased significantly by 18%.

The ad, made for World Mental Health Day (10th October), comes at a time when workplace toxicity in India is under the spotlight following the death of an Ernst & Young (EY) Pune employee, which, according to a letter her mother posted on LinkedIn, was caused by extreme work pressure. Only yesterday, an HDFC employee allegedly succumbed to work stress after collapsing at her desk.

In a press note, Tomoko Koda, managing executive officer for ASICS, commented:

“At ASICS, we champion the power of movement, not just on the body, but also on the mind. It’s why we’re called ASICS—an acronym for the Latin Anima Sana in Corpore Sano or sound mind in a sound body. Our global study revealed that spending hours at your desk is having a real and alarming impact on our minds. That’s why we wanted to deliver a powerful message from the world’s scariest boss to inspire people to move their minds.”

“We hope to encourage office workers around the world to move and feel the mental benefits. We look forward to seeing the empty desk images on World Mental Health Day.”

It’s intriguing to see a brand primarily known for shoes make this connection and live up to its name.

As per The Drum in July 2024, the brand wants to differentiate itself from the competition by talking about mental health. “There’s a bit of a sea of sameness in the sports industry, and by talking about mental health, it allows ASICS to differentiate itself from the competition,” said its EMEA executive vice president, Gary Raucher.

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, which espoused women’s natural bodies over media-touted, photoshopped bodies, serves as a blueprint for Raucher and her team.

An example is the brand’s 15-Minute Weight Loss campaign (see above), where it took over social and Google searches for ‘weight loss exercise’ and pointed them to ASICS content that promoted the mental benefits of a small amount of exercise.

Why? Insight told them that searches for quick weight loss had spiked, but the videos negatively impacted viewers and kept people from exercising.