Planet Fitness has teamed up with Comedy Central comedians and real-life couple Rosebud Baker and Andy Haynes in a new video series portraying the duo in the middle of an awkward breakup – with their couch.
The new series was inspired by a recent study conducted by Barkley that shows 72% of people spent more time sitting on their couch in 2020 than in the previous year. The concept, script and production was a collaborative effort between Barkley, Comedy Central and ViacomCBS’ in-house branded content studio, Velocity.
“As this pandemic has worn on and people have been stuck at home, motivation to get started is the biggest obstacle to fitness,” said Jeremy Tucker, chief marketing officer at Planet Fitness. “Exercise is a key component to strong physical and mental health, and we know what people really need right now is a good laugh to help get us through this pandemic, alleviate stress, and motivate us to move again.”
Filmed in the couple’s New York City apartment, the spot, titled ‘Rosebud Baker & Andy Haynes Are Moving On’ sees the comedians having what appears to be a brutally honest breakup. Through a series of single framed, one-sided dialogues, Andy says: “When I met you, you were really firm and curvy, and now you’re kinda saggy,” to which Rosebud joins in with “Yeah? Well, you smell like farts.” Several insults later, we realize that they are not breaking up with each other but with their couch. Watch below:
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“It’s a universal truth that we are all beginning to have a toxic relationship with our couches this year,” commented Tom Demetriou, executive creative director at Barkley. “We love working with brands like Planet Fitness who are willing to collaborate creatively and stand true to their brand purpose that fitness is for everyone.”
This video series is just one of the ways Barkley and Planet Fitness are using laughter to shake people out of their stillness. Additionally, in December Planet Fitness trainers will instill some comedy into their United We Move live workouts with ‘Laugh Out Loud’ week (streamed on Facebook) and two comedic social influencers will present Cardio Comedy: a visit to Planet Fitness that gets funnier and faster the longer it goes.
The spot will air on Comedy Central as well as across ViacomCBS digital and social platforms. Both Rosebud and Andy appear in ‘Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring’, a short-form, original digital stand-up series that streams weekly on Comedy Central’s stand-up YouTube channel.
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CREDITS:
CLIENT: Planet Fitness
- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Chris Rondeau
- CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Jeremy Tucker
- SVP, PR: McCall Gosselin
- VP, NATIONAL MARKETING: Jamie Medeiros
- DIRECTOR, CONTENT ENGAGEMENT: Jenna De Marco
- NATIONAL BRAND AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Carrie Anderson
- MANAGER, MARKETING CREATIVE AND STRATEGY: Lindsay Pour
- SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER: Becky Zirlen
AGENCY: Barkley
- CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Katy Hornaday
- EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Tom Demetriou
- GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Melanie Simonich
- CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Jeremy Gilberto, Jordan Breindel and Stacia Weiss
- SR. PROJECT MANAGER: Tifany Wrzesinski
- SVP, CLIENT EXPERIENCE: John Hornaday
- VP, BRAND DIRECTOR: Julie Barr
- BRAND DIRECTOR: Alison Brady
- SR. BRAND MANAGER: Ashley Cox
- EXECUTIVE STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Chris Cardetti
- STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Molly Griffin
- DIRECTOR OF MEDIA PLANNING: Jessie Thomas
- DIRECTOR OF MEDIA BUYING: Kate O’Rourke
- SENIOR MEDIA PLANNER: Lesley Carlisle
- SENIOR MEDIA BUYER: Alex Everett
- SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERVISOR: Carly Doctor
PRODUCTION: ViacomCBS (Velocity & Comedy Central)
- SVP, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Beth Trentacoste
- VP, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Spencer Parker
- CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Ben Casper
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Carrie Williams
- WRITER/EDITOR, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Matt Hoffman
- PRODUCTION COORDINATOR, VELOCITY CREATIVE: Najeeb Hussain
- DIRECTOR: Charlie Gruet
- DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jake Zortman
- SVP, VELOCITY ACTIVATION: Michelle Zoni
- VP, VELOCITY ACTIVATION: Carmen Liu
- DIRECTOR, VELOCITY ACTIVATION: Jeremy O’Brien
- SR. DIRECTOR, VELOCITY PITCH: Suh Trichon
- COORDINATOR, VELOCITY PITCH: Christina Colon
- SR. COUNSEL, COMEDY CENTRAL: Flora Fuks
- VP, COMEDY CENTRAL TALENT: Ryan Moran
- SR COORDINATOR, COMEDY CENTRAL TALENT: Gabriella Yacyk
SOURCE: Barkley
