Singapore – ASICS has unveiled a new campaign featuring actor Brian Cox, warning of the mental health risks posed by uninterrupted desk work and urging employees to take a #deskbreak to boost their well-being through movement.
As businesses bring more employees back to the office, ASICS’ campaign seeks to inspire workers to step away from their desks and prioritise their mental health through movement.
The campaign kicks off with Brian Cox portraying the world’s most intimidating boss in a Public Service Announcement (PSA), rallying office workers to confront the silent threat to their mental health—their desks. In the PSA, Cox urges employees to prioritise their well-being by taking regular desk breaks—short movement breaks during the workday—to safeguard their mental health.
Actor Brian Cox said, “I’ve played some pretty intimidating characters in my time, but who would have thought a desk could be scarier? It’s great to see ASICS try and do something about this and encourage people to support their mental health through exercise. As I say in the film, run, jump, roller skate. I don’t care. Just move for your mind.”
To further solidify their call on this campaign, ASICS introduced The Desk Break Clause—the first employment contract clause granting workers the legal right to 15-minute movement breaks beyond standard breaks. ASICS has implemented this in its UK employee contracts and made it available for other companies to adopt, urging workers to advocate for its inclusion with their bosses and HR teams.
As part of the campaign, targeted OOH placements in office spaces encourage workers to advocate for the inclusion of the #deskbreak clause in their company policies, while HR and workplace influencers rally their followers to embrace the #deskbreak initiative.
ASICS’ 360° campaign, developed by Golin, spans OOH, influencer, earned, and social channels. The global campaign will also roll out in APAC in markets including Australia, China, Japan, and Singapore. It follows their global study linking sedentary behaviour to declining mental wellbeing, revealing that just two hours of uninterrupted desk work can lower State of Mind scores and raise stress levels.
For this campaign, ASICS also undertook The Desk Break experiment, led by Dr. Brendon Stubbs of King’s College London. It revealed that adding just 15 minutes of movement to the workday improved mental wellbeing by 22.5%. After one week, participants experienced 14.7% lower stress, 33.2% higher productivity, and 28.6% better focus. They also reported feeling 33.3% more relaxed and 28.6% calmer, with 79.2% expressing greater loyalty to employers who offered regular movement breaks.
Dr. Stubbs explained, “We already know that just 15 minutes and 9 seconds of exercise can result in a meaningful improvement in people’s state of mind scores. But what surprised us was just how much it improved cognitive function and reduced stress levels for all our participants across the world. It even changed people’s perceptions of their workplace for the better.”
On World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2024, ASICS aims to inspire office workers globally to take regular #deskbreaks, encouraging 15 minutes of movement for mental health benefits. ASICS is also inviting people to post photos of their empty desks with the hashtag #deskbreak, with each post raising funds for mental health charities worldwide.
Gary Raucher, EVP for ASICS EMEA, said, “In the lead up to World Mental Health Day, we wanted to deliver a strong message that will get people moving for their minds. The hours we spend at our desks are having a real and scary impact on our minds. And it needs to change. At ASICS, we champion the power of movement, not just on the body but also on the mind. It’s why we’re called ASICS—an acronym for the Latin ‘Anima Sana in Corpore Sano’ or ‘Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. We’re proud to be turning that purpose into action and encouraging not only our employees but the rest of the world to move their minds.”
Al Wood, chief creative officer at Golin, added, “We loved the idea of ASICS stepping out of the exercise world to take on office culture in ways you wouldn’t expect from a sports brand. From putting the world’s scariest boss in shorts to using employment contract law to help people create change. A balance of entertainment and action to get workers away from their desk.”
