Take It Easy
Speaking of advertising, have you seen the new Reebok “Run Easy” campaign? The message of the ads is that you don’t have to run like a competitive athlete; you can just “run easy.” In Reeboks, presumably.
Those ads are plastered all over the Embarcadero station here in San Francisco and I notice them especially because one of the headlines makes no sense to me. It says “What are you just doing? Run easy.” I don’t understand what the “just” is doing in there and it’s driving me crazy. Anyway, that’s not the point. (Also not the point: the missing hyphen in one of the headlines. Sorry; it’s my job. Listen to your proofreaders or hire better ones, ad agency.)
Okay, here’s the point: The Consumerist and some commenters there seem to think these ads are encouraging people to be obese.
Reebok is tapping into the same kind of self-rationalizing, self-defeating phrases we tell ourselves. “Eh, it’s ok if I slow up; I’m still running a mile.” “It’s okay if I have a cheeseburger, I’ll just work out 15 minutes later today.” And so forth. A big fat market awaits.
Yeah, and that 15 miles you rode in your H2 is the same as the 15 I rode on my bike. We live in a feel good society. Effort (even half assed) is what counts, apparently. I’ll just keep complaining that I can’t find my sizes in stores because everything is made for short fat people.
And some commenters are kind of assy, but have the right idea:
As an elite competitive athlete, I often giggle about chubby joggers out there on the paths. But then i remember, hey, at least they’re out there doing something, rather than sitting on their asses like 90% of everyone. At least they are trying, so I give them credit.
And there are also some voices of reason in that thread:
I think it’s an interesting campaign. Plus, how many people wake up one day, decide to start running, and make a 6 minute mile. Probably not many. I think the point is to tell people you don’t have to be in shape to start working out.
I think this is a smart campaign. Health advocates suggest light running and walking over doing nothing at all, and this marketing speaks directly to that.
Obviously, the negativity about these ads is ridiculous. So is giggling at “chubby joggers.” We just talked about this and I think Swellanor made a particularly good point:
The fact that fat people are mocked or fear being mocked while exercising is another sign that fat hatred really *is* social prejudice, not just concern about health and, of course, the children. If people really were concerned about fatties’ health, they would beam fondly and think warm fuzzy thoughts as they watch a fat jogger or cyclist go by.
Reebok is trying to get the message out there that average people can run, and still get something out of it, and that’s an excellent message. And let’s be clear; the ads have absolutely nothing to do with fat people. They are merely targeting people who are not competitive athletes. Which is the vast majority of us, fat or not.
Thanks once again to Shannon K for the tip! Gold star!
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Advertising, Exercise, Media
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I think the “What are you just doing? Run easy.” headline is making a reference to the Nike slogan “Just do it”. Maybe?
You are welcome! And I bet the “just” is a reference to Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign, which … is Nike even still using that campaign? But I digress.
I sort of wanted to comment in that Consumerist thread that the “giggling at chubby joggers but then deciding to give them credit” thing proves the point of the ad. Apparently you have to build up gradually to not being an asshole, just like you have to build up gradually to running a six-minute mile. Eventually,with a lot of hard work, that person will be able skip the giggling bit and just go right to not being a dickwad. Baby steps!
Oh my god, thanks you guys. That makes perfect sense and is in hindsight, so obvious. Duh.
I’d been running for a year before I could do a 10-minute mile (I have short legs, and even pre-adolescence, when I was slim and had tons of energy, I wasn’t fast.)
If that’s hard work for you, then it _is_. No matter what standards someone else is going by. But how many people are put off ever exercising because they know they won’t ever be “athletic”? Probably loads.
My husband once complained to me that he couldn’t even run three miles any more without being out of breath. THREE MILES. It took about half an hour for him to convince me he wasn’t joking. He played football (soccer) in high school and his coach was a regular competitor in the Iron Man Triathlon, they trained HARD, and my husband was “pretty good, but not one of the best”. Three miles without getting out of breath? Wow.
Anyway, my main point, I think, is that for my husband, his self set standards of fitness are really high compared to mine. Running half a mile without getting out of breath would be an astonishing feat for me, actually running at all. I can walk very briskly without getting puffed, but running kills me, I have no rhythm for it. He’s been having a hard time accepting that he might take a very long time to get back in high school shape, and it has put him off exercising.
For a while, the idea of trying to keep up with him put me off exercising, but I’m mostly over that. He doesn’t care, why should I?
Yeah, I run with my husband too sometimes, although I haven’t a hope of going as fast as he does, but I’ve just been running for the first time with my sister.
And I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to run with someone who is roughly the same height as me, and goes about the same pace…
This is priceless!
What do I think about when I get someone smirking at me running or exercising? I picture them trying to do what I do while carrying 100 lb weights. They’d be dying within minutes. The extra weight fat people carry is not just fat – a significant part of it is muscle.
This, unlike the belly ad, almost makes me want to buy Reeboks.
Now, will someone tell me where all those clothes for short, fat people are? ‘Cause I’d like to shop there.
I’m well aware and all of the current problems of too much (junk) food available and the likes, but seriously, that kind of obsession with obesity and “OMG TEH FATTIEZ ARE HERE TO GET US AND WE’LL ALL BECOME LIEK THEM” is getting *seriously* tiring. I can’t even fathom HOW such a campaign could be seen as negative.verything that will encourage people to do it, everything that will tell them “you can do it, and doing it is better than not doing anything, and by the way ‘Thou shalt run 20 miles on thy first attempt’ isn’t the 11th Commandment, so you can start slow and easy” is good in my book.
And then those same people will be the first ones to scream “THE OBESITY EPIDEMICS” and moan that fat is everywhere around them. Right.
MeMe Roth on a pogo stick, that’s really tiresome.
Good call, Reebok.
Besides, aren’t sports injuries an expense imposed on the public by irresponsible lifestyle choices? “Run easy” is a very good idea.
It’s interesting timing for this ad too — Pearl Izuma, a shoe manufacturer that caters to more elite athletes, is under attack for their recent ads, targeted towards elite athletes. The ad makes fun of those who “jog” vs. running.
I think there is validity in both ads. I just came home from a 10 mile run. I’m training for a marathon. BUT — when I started running outdoors, it was painful to get through “just” ten minutes… however, that “just” 10 minutes was still burning nearly 300 calories as I was about 200 lbs at the time and working my ASS off (literally).
I like the reebok campaign. I like that it reminds people that you don’t just wake up being able to run 5, 6, 7 – hell, even ONE mile… it takes effort, discipline, time, and patience… and if you don’t want to invest those things in your running hobby… that’s totally fine. Just run. ;-)
Running can definitely take some getting used to but most people who develop and stick to a running routine swear by it.
I like this ad a lot. Good on Reebok for promoting exercise is for everyone.
When I was younger and running, I didn’t have the self control to slow down. Injuring myself did not make running a feasible long term workout activity for me. So now I have to relearn how to run.
If anyone else is interested, I found a beginners running schedule at Couch to 5k that I’m rocking.
Wow! I made a point! Thanks!
The quoted comments have such an us-vs.-them attitude- on one side, there are lazy, fat fatties who drive Hummers, and on the other side are self-righteous lean bike-riding and running machines. They don’t seem to recognize that most people fall somewhere in between, and that you have to start somewhere to become fit.
Like other kinds of bigots, they’ve defined a class of people whom they feel justified in hating, and according to them there’s no middle ground and no way to leave that class and join theirs- they’ll mock you for trying.
If you’re not already running 10 miles, you must love obesity!
Forgive me for being skeptical, but I thought the main reason people were put off running is that it is both tedious and painful.
I get enough of that from work, why the hell would I want to expose myself to that in my free time, what do you think I is, stoopid?!
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a bit of running when it’s for a reason, like for a bus or to catch someone up, I enjoy that, and that’s really the point. Running, around, falls so far short of this, it may as well be a different thing a together.
Now if the found out why that was, they might know how to advertise their t.shoes.
When I think of the number of times I gave up on exercise completely because I didn’t think I could do the “hard 30” or whatever it was being called at the time, I want to cry. If only I’d “run easy” fifteen years ago, I wouldn’t have had such a long way to go when I finally got in shape.
People need to understand that some exercise, even if it doesn’t meet the athletic gold standard, is better than none. I have vivid memories of a snotty skinny girl telling me years ago that my gentle bike rides weren’t worth anything because “you have to do it for at least an hour, and really sweat, for it to make a difference.” Of course, the implication was that I wouldn’t. And, for a while, I gave up and she was right.
But you know what? She wasn’t sweating her guts out for an hour a day, either. She was just lucky enough to have a differrent body type, and stayed slimmer for a long time. But, I ran into her a couple of months ago, and, at 40, she weighs well over 300 lbs.
I’ll take my size 14s and my 45 minute walks to and from work, thanks.
Wriggles, I think your opinion is awfully short-sighted. Running CAN be tedious and painful, but it is also exceptionally rewarding, and I would venture to guess that most people do it because once they’ve gotten past the point where it HURTS, it’s both physically and emotionally rewarding — at least, that’s been my case.
Many valuable skills require patience and discipline, and that includes athleticism… even if you hate it. But don’t discount those of us who, despite finding it tedious and often times painful, have pushed through that pain and tedium for the rewards that come with athletic achievments.
As I”ve said before, I couldn’t run for one minute when I started, and although it has often times been painful, I’ve smartly worked through many training programs to get where I am without injuring myself.
Would you have that attitude about a paper, job, class, or artistic hobby? I doubt it– so don’t hesitate to apply the same standards to an athletic endeavor.
I run for a reason — because I never thought i COULD run, and it’s something I”ve had to work hard to achieve.
Why run when you can power-walk…now that breaks me out in a sweat that I can enjoy without all the achy crampy sides and heavy breathing.
I did have something serious to say but it’s late and my brain isn’t really up to figuring out what it was.
Jessica, do you have any ideas about why you never got injured? Quite a few people do get hurt running.
Yeah, becuase I’m smart and i listen to my body and if I AM injured, I rest instead of pushing myself too hard. I also didn’t start off trying to run a marathon — started off not being able to run 10 minutes and built up to now 10 miles.
Running is a slowprocess, and not a linear one. You can’t always do today what you were able to do yesterday, and you have to actually LEARN how to run just like you would practice any other sport.
“Besides, aren’t sports injuries an expense imposed on the public by irresponsible lifestyle choices? “Run easy” is a very good idea.”
Exactly! When I used to run, my “running coach” (a very experienced and competitive runner) always stressed to not push yourself too hard, a) to avoid injuries and b) to keep from burning out mentally.
I love this Reebok campaign. It’s a nice counter to the “if-you-cant-run-a-marathon-you’re-not-really-exercising” mentality so many people seem to have.
I’ve seen “run easy” before this ad campaign in runner literature. It is just a short-hand way of saying “run at your long run/conversational pace.”
It doesn’t mean the work out isn’t hard or effective or adding to ability.
But the phrase, in comparison to Type A Nike’s, makes a great competitor campaign :)
Bah, meant to type more – googling “run easy” and “training” will bring back info on the training, and not just Reebok. Here’s a link to one of those training sites:
http://www.teamoregon.com/publications/hardeas.html
Jessica, thanks for your reply.
You did not note the other part of what I said, and that is that I can run whenever there is a tangible goal, I enjoy it too. The problem is planned running is a world away from the above that it is off putting.
The point is people have good reasons for not continuing to run and it is not to do with running easy or hard, but the level of distress generated in the body, to give it in as a no-no IS discipline, I’m sure you’ve started an endeavour and known, nope, not for you.
I respect your efforts, the problem is that ‘cos you are experiencing p&t, you think that is as bad as it can get, trust me on this, those are the least of the problems!
Well, wriggles, I for one enjoy running for running’s sake. I haven’t done a race in years, but I still run a few times every week and don’t find it tedious or painful, but quite the opposite. I believe you when you say that this is not the case for you, but I don’t think you can generalize your experiences to everyone. I mean, I hate swimming, but I don’t doubt that other people legitimately enjoy it…it’s just not for me.
I think every time someone makes sort of a “shocking” or extreme assertion (like IMO the Pearl Izumi campaign sort of does) we as people are all way too nice about it. We bend over backwards to accommodate the other person’s point of view to the extent that we start to accept part of their argument even if it is not reasonable. Before you know it we’re (not commenters here, again, just people in general) maybe objecting to the harshness of the language, but accepting the basic premise that joggers and walkers are lazy and should always be striving for something more, which is not true.
To start with, I still think it’s the case that a brisk daily walk is good for you and will help keep you healthy. Not just because “I guess it’s better than nothing” or whatever. It’s just good for you period, and is likely to be all the exercise many people need. Of course add in all the usual disclaimers like “you can’t assume this allows you to eat 2 Big Macs a day” and blah blah condescending media crap-cakes that we all already know because we are fat, not brain-dead infants. I totally agree with Swellanor about the “us vs. them” mentality, by the way, and I think the unbelievably condescending language and comments cited are a great example.
So anyway, I pretty much reject the whole concept that “Run Easy” is bad, and even that it is good only to the extent that it creates a “gateway” for out-of-shape folks to get started running. I think it’s more just like an option that some people might select to keep healthy and maintain their fitness level (which is probably pretty high if they’re running at all), whereas some others might opt to keep challenging themselves with faster times and longer distances, which is also great.
For the record, I’m at slightly more than a 12-minute mile these days over a 45-minute period, and looking to get to an average 9-minute mile for the same time frame. So I have sort of a vested interest in this idea as I look at my own attitude toward my running and what I hope to get out of it. I don’t want to sabotage myself with unreasonable expectations before I even really get going.
I also think we often equate discipline and striving for goals with health, like the harder you push yourself, the healthier you’ll be. IMO both are great goals but one doesn’t necessarily overlap totally with the other.
Also, who says something like “As an elite competitive athlete…”?
I really like this campaign and I think does a great job of emphasizing that exercise should be enjoyable. So much fitness marketing buys into the idea that exercise should be unpleasant and painful if it’s to be at all worth anything. I call bullshit.
I’ve always been the “run easy” girl… even in the best shape I’ve ever been in, my runner friends would often crack jokes about it. But hey, it’s no big deal, I have exercise induced asthma for christssakes… each and every step that I can run or hike or dance is an awesome victory for me.
OK, La Wade, I’m going to give it one last go, in the hopes that you will finally be able to understand my point.
I said running – as in get your running shoes and go jogging, whatever times a week, was tedious and painful.
But, this is the hard part, running really fast for a reason, feels really good. Why the great gulf between the two? Have you got that?
I am sure Wade can defend herself here, but I’m not sure where your tone is coming from. You are claiming that running is “tedious and painful” and people have disagreed with you because they enjoy running, even if it’s not “really fast” and “for a reason.”
Looking back at this thread, two different people disagreed with you, very politely, and if you can’t be polite back, I will go ahead and delete your comments. Wade has only responded to you once, so this whole “one last time” thing is perplexing.
Oh, and I also find running tedious and painful, but I love swimming. Nevertheless, La Wade and I rarely come to blows over this great ideological divide between us.
Believe me. I know how bad it can get. I used to weigh 250 lbs and smoke a pack of Kamel red lights a day.
I don’t know what “p & t” means, though.
“Wriggles, I think your opinion is awfully short-sighted. Running CAN be tedious and painful, but it is also exceptionally rewarding …”
Tedious and painful.
Ripped meniscus from running (no doctor/trainer for the “fat” girls on the track team who just might have congenital cup/patella problems and an overdeveloped Q-angle AKA knock-knees, and you can do a lot of damage trying to show you can run the middle distances just as fast as the skinny girls).
Elliptical only instead.
Guess I have to get rich and get a driver, ’cause I don’t think I’ll be able to run for a bus ever again.
Caveat, ladies (and guys, FTM)? Get a trainer, an MRI, and some weights first for those quads. Don’t let the ads and the triathletes push you into something you’re not ready for.
Mo Pie, I undoubtedly lost my temper, for that I apologize, feel free to delete my comments.