Non-profit ParticipACTION exists to get Canadians to sit less and move more. Studies show 83% of the nation believes physical inactivity is more serious an issue than alcohol and tobacco, yet 8 in 10 adults don’t meet minimum activity requirements for health. The gap between perception and action needed to be corrected to shift this Canadian health crisis.

Health advocacy communications normally use simple tips to promote activity, but 41% of Canadians would rather be doing something else. ParticipACTION had to motivate, not just provide information to shift the norms where physical activity is accepted and expected in Canada.

And with Valentine’s Day approaching, ParticipACTION had the opportunity to use a national holiday that celebrates intimacy to deliver a message to a targeted, receptive audience on how even sex can get better with physical activity.

To shift behaviour, we needed to understand what was preventing Canadians from being active: 57% claimed to need to psych themselves up to be active. In the pursuit of a better life, Canadians prioritize many desires at the expense of the basics. Necessities, like being active, become things to ‘add on’ once other things are done.

The real benefits of physical activity extend far beyond weight loss and physical appearance: There are health, relationship, brain and community benefits to physical activity. It can even help promote increased blood flow throughout the body, even down below, which in turn boosts sexual feelings.

That insight led to our creative idea: Everything gets better when you get active. A platform that would reframe activity as the way to reach all the life priorities and goals and provide an opportunity to get personal and remind Canadians about those surprising benefits of physical activity.

Each poster features a suggestive image of sporting equipment such as a bike seat, a football, or two badminton birdies, with a double entendre headline that references the physical activity while alluding to sexual activity – i.e.: ‘Stroke some birdies. Sex gets better when you badminton.’ By highlighting that ‘benefit-first’ message, we not only surprised viewers but also broadened their association of how physical activity has benefits beyond weight loss.

The poster campaign leveraged design cues (colour palette, font) established in the brand platform work but made a point bring the ‘sex better’ message to life visually with sporting equipment. The posters ran in digital-out-of-home in restobar locations.

While the overall brand platform launch got Canadians feeling “Everything gets better when you get active”, with ‘72% of Canadians found this campaign motivating, significantly above average’ and ‘Almost half found it to be educational, relevant and interesting’, the micro campaign’s success built off that success by staying the course to deliver a target message to a targeted audience.