Blink Fitness kicked off a brand-wide casting call today through October 7, the goal of which is to feature actual gym members in the company’s 2017 ad campaign.
The company sees the campaign as an opportunity to encourage body positivity by inviting Blink’s nearly 300,000 members to audition for the casting call by submitting a photo or video on Instagram that tells Blink why they should be chosen while tagging #BlinkCastingCall and @Blink_Fitness.
Following the open submission phase, finalists will be called back to a Manhattan Blink Fitness location where they will share why feeling good is the new looking good before a panel of casting agents, who will select the cast for Blink’s 2017 campaign.
Among these casting agents is actress Dascha Polanco, best known for playing Dayanara Diaz on Orange is the New Black, and NFL punter Steve Weatherford — both of whom are Blink members and advocates for body positivity and the emotional benefits of exercise.
“The world is not made up of one type of person, so why are ads, magazines and films made up primarily of one body size?” said Polanco. “I’m so excited to be a part of this campaign because of the real people and bodies that will be represented in it.”
The campaign follows Blink’s “Every Body Happy” platform, which launched earlier this year. A survey commissioned by Blink Fitness and conducted online by Harris Poll earlier this year showed that 71% of Americans don’t relate to fitness ads or magazine covers because the people in those images don’t have their body type.
“The fitness industry is blanketed by aspirational images of so-called ‘perfect’ bodies, and that’s not what Blink aims to promote,” said Ellen Roggemann, VP of marketing for Blink Fitness. “Who better to represent Blink than our actual members? These people are confident, committed, and truly reflect how great exercise makes you feel.”
There are currently 60 Blink Fitness locations open or in development in New York and New Jersey, with the goal of reaching 300 clubs by 2020 through corporate growth and its franchising program that began late last year.
