OLIVIA DOWNING. CREATIVE COPYWRITER.
David Lloyd Clubs. Elevate Your Everyday
the challenge. People think of David Lloyd Clubs as a fancy gym. The reality is so much more than that. With supremely high quality spas, areas to work and to play, indoors and out for the entire family, they were being undersold by their tendency to go for shouty, DRTV ads. And in a market of shouty, DRTV gym ads, this didn't give them the cut through, or premium feel that the club truly has.
the work. Elevate Your Everyday. This concept was born of the truth of David Lloyd Clubs: that time spent there gives everyone a feeling of lift. I wanted to show the club at its best, and exemplify through striking visuals and simple scenes just how time at David Lloyd Clubs gave people a sense of weightlessness, as well as using a more stylised approach to give them standout from their more high energy, aggressive competitors. This was a fully integrated campaign, comprising of a 30" Brand Response, 30" DRTV, Social cut downs, Facebook Posts and a 30" radio spot.
Now, as this was a daring move for the client in both look and feel, I was involved in every level: from coming up with the concept, to being on the shoot with our chosen director, Joe Connor, and even in the sound design and music composition. This ended up being an area that caused a lot of controversy, and that I had to fight for (classical music in a gym ad?). My aim throughout though, was to really carve out a space for David Lloyd Clubs in the leisure sector that made them look and sound utterly different from the rest of the market, and reflect their premium nature.
the results. In the end, the client loved the work so much, they invested in a 50" online cut to showcase the entire breadth of our beautiful shoot. This advert was on Ads of The World's front page on its release, and has become one of David Lloyd Club's most recognisable adverts. For me, I'm really proud of defending this beautifully simple idea from too many of those ominous 'small tweaks'. From concept to screen, it pretty much is as I wrote it: and I think that shows through the creative itself.