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GymNation launches world’s heaviest billboard
The biggest gym chain in the Middle East has claimed a new media first with the launch of a billboard weighing one tonne.
Nicola Kemp
Editorial Director CreativebriefGymnation, the biggest gym chain in the Middle East, has claimed a new media first: the world’s heaviest billboard.
According to Rory McEntee, Chief Marketing Officer at GymNation, the company had to hire in a team of strong muscle-bound men and women to install the billboard.
Weighing in at a staggering one tonne, the billboard was created using forty weight plates joined together.
The advert marks the first time a UAE gym has built its own billboard. Health and Safety representatives at GymNation stated that the ad was so heavy that perimeter tape would need to be used to seal off the advert in the event of a wall collapse.
The permanent installation features the strapline: ‘The only billboard that needs a spotter’. A spotter refers to the person who traditionally supports and guides a weight lifter when they are training to support their safety and help them complete their set, especially if they are working with very heavy weights.
Advertising in the UAE needed a lift so we took that literally. The result is the world’s heaviest billboard, built to celebrate strength in every form.
Rory McEntee, Chief Marketing Officer at GymNation
The heavyweight advert supports the launch of GymNation’s new ‘Strongman’ class, which takes place every Saturday, 10 am, at the Mirdif club. The class, for fitness lovers who love to lift big, is inspired by The World's Strongest Man international competition and includes exercises like Deadlifts, Tyre Flips, Log Press and Farmer’s Walk.
GymNation’s McEntee explained: “Advertising in the UAE needed a lift so we took that literally. The result is the world’s heaviest billboard, built to celebrate strength in every form. It was a massive job, spotters were required to put it up, but thankfully no hernias were reported during the installation.”
He continued: “The Strongman class has been formulated in collaboration with our expert Fitness Instructors, and members can expect to shift some serious heavy loads - designed to bring out the inner strong man and woman in all of us.”
McEntee also issued a safety warning on the advertising first, adding: “We strongly advise observers to remain outside the perimeter tape if they’re heading past the billboard, or just want to take a photograph of this heavyweight marketing feat.”
The campaign is the latest creative ‘first’ from the gym brand. Earlier this month, the gym removed all the weights from its floors to encourage challenging conversations about mental health.
Earlier this year, the challenger gym brand notched up another first by launching the world’s first ‘in gym’ hotel.
While there are greater restrictions on out of home advertising in the Middle East, the brand’s appetite for creative firsts shows no signs of abating.
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