A new year has already begun and with it the time to try to fulfill the goals set. Having a more active lifestyle and practicing sports and exercise is one of the most common, and this is perceived in the communication strategies of gyms and sports centers, which have a key opportunity in January to boost the growth of their businesses and expand their communities.

The sector has started the year at an advertising level, leaving behind traditional narratives focused on self-demand, improvement and the culture of competition. Instead, they put at the center of their speech topics and consumer concerns that have gained ground in recent years, such as well-being, self-care or the emotional benefits of practicing sports.

Thus, gym advertising focuses on promoting their services and facilities as a refuge from the busy routine of today’s society, as reflected in the campaign launched by the GO Fit chain with the help of the creative agency Dentsu Creative Spain. The advertisement, produced by Landia, invites people not to let themselves get worn down by the frenetic pace of everyday life and remembers that the movement of the body directly influences the rest of the mind.

“In a context marked by rush, multitasking and the feeling of not achieving everything, moving becomes a way to disconnect and return to oneself.“, the company commented through LinkedIn. “At GO fit we understand movement not only as exercise, but as a space to slow down your mental pace, release tension and truly take care of yourself. Because sometimes, to rest, you don’t have to stop; you have to move”.

Highlighting the psychological and emotional benefits of exercise is an international trend, and finds multiple expressions, including not showing the gym itself. This is what the PureGym chain has done in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Switzerland, with an advertisement designed by the McCann Manchester agency that conveys the unmistakable feeling of well-being experienced after a workout.

The spot features Glow, a huge luminous creature that expresses that sensation and, more specifically, what PureGym members experience. The character radiates positivity and energy around him to the beat of funky music, acting as a visual metaphor for the emotional euphoria found in both the sport and the brand experience.

The promotion of gyms as friendly spaces in which to promote personal expression and acceptance of body diversity is also one of the trends in the category, which seeks to get rid of a certain negative perception with which many users associate it. VivaGym’s new campaign, titled “You have to love yourself more” and designed by the ProudMary agency, embraces this idea.

The company aims to promote reflection in the fitness industry by proposing a more human and authentic vision of well-being that puts diversity, self-acceptance and self-care at the center and establishes self-love as the starting point for a healthy lifestyle. VivaGym aims to turn the act of training around so that it is not seen as a punishment or an obligation to “fix” something, but as an act of well-being, motivation and personal care.

The campaign focuses on different parts of the body, many of which are the subject of physical complexes, and makes them the protagonists of these messages of acceptance. Advertising is complemented with activations on other channels and supports and in the centers themselves with specific thematic classes and raffles for annuities or merchandising.

Although emotionality has been gaining ground in the communication of brands in the fitness sector, there is also room to convey messages through humor and irony. This is why the SynerGym Spain chain has opted, which has created a fun piece for social networks in which it recreates a miniature gym and emulates traditional toy advertising. It seeks to launch a motivating message that encourages users to train in a gym “with real machines.”
The campaign has been worked on jointly with the Hamlet agency and consists of four different pieces that will be released soon.

On the other hand, highlighting local roots and character is one of the strategies that brands are deploying in the face of the expansion of foreign multinationals. The new campaign by the Barcelona gym DiR embraces this approach with a message that reflects the role that sports centers and gyms have acquired in the development of people’s social lives.

“Barcelona changes, but there are things that remain the same. DiR is the gym that has always been present in the city, at every stage and with its people. A rooted, close and shared space. DiR. Yours, everyone’s, home’s“, expresses the company, seeking to reinforce the feeling of belonging and community and enhancing its identity as a gym of proximity and trust.
The campaign has been worked on by the brand’s marketing team, from concept to execution.

And like many other industries, sports has not remained immune to the impact of artificial intelligence on creative possibilities. However, in the case of gyms, technology serves as a starting point to build positions around authenticity and personal trust. This is what Equinox has done with the “Question Everything But Yourself” campaign.

Devised by the Angry Gods agency, the campaign contrasts images generated by artificial intelligence with real ones to send a message related to self-confidence. Thus, both in videos and images he contrasts Pope Francis wearing a feather or the former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau doing pole dancingwith images of people whose sculptural bodies are the result not only of exercise, but of believing in themselves.

“It’s 2026. The truth is a moving target. Faces are filters. Politicians are deepfakes. Your feed is full of AI garbage“, the brand has noted on social networks. “But in a world where almost everything can be faked, there is something that still can’t be faked. You. Your body. Your strength. Your vitality is an act of rebellion in an artificial world. When nothing you see can be trusted, there’s only one thing left to do. Question everything but yourself”.