Stop Blaming Gen Z’s Couch Potato Problem on Devices and Start Using Them to Fix It
Image credit: World's Smallest Gym - Meta, Puma and UNIT9
With just 19% of gen z exercising daily compared to 57% of the ‘Silent Generation’ when they were the same age, we’re seeing a clear decline in youth fitness. Screen time is widely seen as the culprit, and it's true that phones and other devices form the backbone of gen z’s social, educational and day-to-day lives. But far from being the enemy, the same technology can actually be used as a solution by brands to make fitness more appealing for younger generations.
The at-home fitness experience is prime for innovation. Accelerated by lockdowns, we’ve already seen trends start to shift in favour of more convenient, tech-led lifestyle options over the past few years. The rise of online fitness classes and brands such as Peloton and FiiT are continuing to reshape audience behaviours, and tech wearables including Aura, Whoop and Apple Watch are winning users over with improved personalisation. But the true future of fitness will take this even further.
Integrating exercise into social channels, where gen z spend almost three hours of their day, is a sure way to get traction. With accountability being a huge driver for sustained exercise, there’s a nice opportunity for brands to create virtual coaches in the form of smart chatbots on gen z’s favourite channels to keep them on track of their fitness goals. Nike’s Lil Mbappe chatbot is a great example - the brand immortalised the French football star as a digital avatar on Instagram, allowing young fans to message directly for daily fitness challenges whilst building a closer connection with their favourite player. And with AI’s rapid advancement in recent months, brands have never been in a better position to tap into gen z at home with smart content tailored to each user.
With 90% of gen z classed as ‘game enthusiasts’, gamifying exercise could also prove key in unlocking a more active generation - for instance by introducing elements such as point scoring, rewards and leader boards. Apps like Zwift - an indoor-cycling experience that allow users to interact, train and compete in a virtual world - are doing a great job, but require a hefty spend on kit in order to take part. Mobile experiences tend to have accessibility on side - Nike’s Run Club app is on the right track with its level-up system the more you run. But there’s a huge amount of untapped potential here for brands to really explore how gamification can supercharge youth fitness. What if coins could be collected Super Mario-style as you run certain routes and then exchanged for product in-store? Combine this with the immersive storytelling of an app like Marvel Move, which cleverly makes the runner a main character alongside their IP favourites, and you could be on to a serious winner.
Spatial computing is another exciting medium that can be used to win gen z over, with the latest hardware able to add a new dimension to workouts. Alo Moves, available soon on Meta Quest 3, uses room mapping and volumetric capture technology to emulate an in-person yoga class, complete with mixed reality instructors showing you how to downward dog in your living room. Exercises are specifically tailored for headset users, with shorter, slower paced workout options and moveable virtual instructors offering a 360 view for convenience and comfort. Combine this with the fact that mixed reality workouts can be done in even the most compact of spaces - as displayed by Meta’s ‘World’s Smallest Gym’ activation in a 2m x 2m pop-up pod at Puma’s flagship store in Germany - and there’s nothing stopping spatial fitness from becoming a firm favourite.
It’s hard to argue against the fact that digital native generations are glued to their screens. But technology isn’t the villain here; it’s actually our best shot at closing the exercise gap. Sports and fitness brands have an amazing opportunity to make fitness fun for today’s audience - they just need to play into what already makes them tick.
