Asics Mind Games documentary investigates whether exercise makes you smarter
The sportswear brand filmed the project over the course of sixteen weeks and recorded some interesting results.
Asics has launched a new global campaign that hopes to demonstrate that when it comes to cognitive skills, exercise plays a crucial role.
In ‘Mind Games – The Experiment’, the brand recruited inactive ‘mind gamers’ to start exercising and see if it helped sharpen their mental skills. From chess to mahjong players, the chosen few followed an intense exercise program.
Over the course of the four months, many of the participants’ gaming rankings improved by 75% and cognitive function was boosted on average by 10%. Group confidence levels increased by 44%, concentration improved by 33% and anxiety levels plummeted by 43%.
A film crew was on hand during the project to capture the blood, sweat and tears, and the final documentary has been narrated by Stephen Fry and will start streaming today on Amazon Prime.
Advertisement
Gary Raucher, executive vice president at Asics EMEA, said: “Our founding purpose is literally in our name, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or a sound mind, sound body. And our purpose has never been more relevant than right now. In our always-on, turbo-charged world, our brains are feeling the strain. But could exercise be the simple solution to give our minds a much-needed boost?
“We wanted to test that theory on the people that rely on their brainpower the most, namely competitive mind gamers. Through ‘Mind Games – The Experiment’, we want to inspire more people to move. Because if exercise can sharpen even the brightest minds, imagine what it can do for the rest of us.”
The concept was created by Neil A Dawson & Company, the experiment and earned campaign led by Golin London, media buying was handled by Le Pub, production was developed by Bangers and Nash and the documentary was produced by Beyond Productions.
Advertisement
“As an advertising man, I’m always looking for compelling brand stories to tell. It has been a real privilege to work on this one,” added creative director Neil Dawson.
“Asics’ founding philosophy completely sets it apart from all other sports brands. Our challenge was to come up with an idea that did their story justice. A unique idea the viewer had not seen before that would bring this brand story to life in a truthful and unexpected way. I believe ‘Mind Games – The Experiment’ is such an idea.”