Why a Belgian Health Insurer Built a Playground for Adults
A new campaign by Helan, a health insurance company, and Belgian ad agency FamousGrey, aims to combat muscle loss in adults by transforming ordinary benches into playful exercises. The campaign, called ‘Adult Playgrounds’, features four ‘stay young benches’ that require some light muscle strength to unlock a seat. The benches were installed in Ghent, Belgium, with the support of the city and RAAK Design Studio.
The idea behind the campaign is to show that strength training can be fun and easy, and that it can be integrated into daily life. The benches target different muscle groups, such as hip, leg, glute, abdominal, arm, shoulder, back, chest and calf muscles. The benches also encourage parents to join their children in playing, instead of sitting on their smartphones.
The campaign is not only limited to the physical benches, but also includes an online platform that offers tips and exercises for maintaining muscle strength. Helan promotes a realistic and enjoyable approach to health, helping adults develop healthy habits that can prevent health issues at an older age.
Intrigued by this innovative approach to marketing a health insurance brand, LBB’s Alex Reeves found out more from Olivia Naudts, account director at FamousGrey.
LBB> This is not your standard advertising strategy for a health insurance brand! What was the initial brief or starting point for the idea?
Olivia> We collaborated with the client to devise a strategy for promoting the significance of muscles in a manner that is fun and non-offensive. This topic, while not as frequently addressed as cardio, aligns perfectly with Helan's brand identity, which distinguishes itself through bold communication that raises awareness about less-discussed (but equally important) subjects.
LBB> How did you land on the plan to develop physical public workout equipment, rather than more of a traditional advertising approach?
Olivia> We chose to challenge people to try it themselves, rather than delivering yet another message that tells them how they should do things.
LBB> What were some of the most influential insights that impacted how you did it?
Olivia> The fact that when you turn 30, we start to lose muscles. And that’s exactly the age where most of us become parents and stop exercising. Instead, we watch our children having fun while we simply sit on a bench. That’s why Helan Health insurance and FamousGrey added an adult playground to the children’s playground.
LBB> What were the biggest decisions during the process of designing and building the playground?
Olivia> The design had to be inspired by children, but effective for adults. This playground had to be fun and needed to start from one simple bench in the park. All of the designs clearly start from that typical park bench.
LBB> What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
Olivia> Ha! We had several!
First of all: finding the right partner who could design and build something that was never done before, based on a killer idea from our creative team.
Next to that:
- The location: public spaces are protected against commercial messages in Belgium. So we needed to pitch the idea to the city as well. This took several months, but hey, persistence pays off!
- The safety standards for a playground: we tested, adapted and re-tested.
LBB> When it came to the task of using this innovative product to promote Helan, how did you decide on a comms strategy around the playground?
Olivia> Our strategy is triple layered:
- DO (make it happen): the launch of our adult playground was supported by PR (and event) and influencers on site. We also teased people in/around the park (targeted online video) to come and try it out.
- SHOW (make it known): a paid online media plan that generates traffic to the campaign website, plus influencer content on how to do this from home.
- RESONATE (claim the topic): on the landing page, people can:
- Get all the info about the campaign.
- Find inspiration about how to work on your muscles in a fun way from home.
- Order a bench.
- Sign up for a webinar.
We also sent a direct mail to all other cities in Belgium.
LBB> How has the reaction been? Have you seen any outcomes yet?
Olivia> The client and employees at Helan are thrilled, or as the marketing director at Helan would say: “Right in the bullseye!”
When shooting the video, we saw a lot of parents getting on the playground. This is the most beautiful proof of a creative idea that is really needed, not just creative.
The day of the launch, the campaign was featured in the national news and radio (prime time). And also, the feedback from other creative agencies in Belgium has been very positive.
LBB> Six other cities are planning to install an Adult Playground! How did that come about and what are the plans for the future of the project?
Olivia> Yes! The demands came almost right after launching the playground. Exciting times! The team is, of course, very proud of the fact that other cities also want to launch this.
As I already mentioned, this is the most beautiful proof of what creativity can do for a client.
