It’s been over two years since Britain voted to leave the European Union – and as the deadline for negotiation looms large, the public’s patience is now wearing thin.
‘Brexit’ has been a hot topic of conversation that’s dominated news headlines ever since former PM David Cameron first posed the idea. Despite a larger majority of the British public voting to leave the EU, the long delays and subsequent actions of the Government has provoked widespread anger and confusion.
Combining an experiential campaign with ‘business as usual’ British fitness company Gymbox has launched a ‘Brexfit’ class at its Victoria outlet in London, providing those who attend with a chance to unleash their Brexit negativity whilst working on their physical fitness.
Described as the ‘best class to release anger’, each exercise has been designed by expert trainers in collaboration with an anger management specialist to ensure maximum frustration release.
Putting politicians into the firing line, there are a variety of themed activities on offer: a Boris Johnson-themed ‘Politician Punchbag’, The Corbyn Ju-Jitsu Throw (Weight Throw), ‘The Politico Head Slammer’ (Slam Ball), ‘The Jacob-Rees Logg Lift’ (Log lift) and ‘The Theresa May Sack Race’. It even condemns those who quit to the ‘Cameron Quitters Corner.’
The walls, which were once covered with inspirational quotes, are now lined with Brexit claims made by those participating such as MP Dominic Raab’s promise that “there will be adequate food.”
Rory McEntee, Gymbox spokesperson, said: “It doesn’t matter if you’re In or Out, Brexit has become more anger-inducing than a flimsy Jeremy Corbyn apology. We’re always looking at innovative ways to motivate and challenge our members and we quickly realised Brexit is a great topic to get them fired up.”
Exercise has long been a method used for anger management. The benefits of this class have been supported by Julian Hall, anger management expert at Calm People, who said: “Many of my clients use exercise as a meaningful and healthy part of their toolkit to manage their anger and this class is the perfect way to release the pent-up energy that anger creates.”
The class effectively channels and dispels the collective anger felt by Brexiteers and Remainers alike. It offers great stimulus and motivation to bring people together and help them get in shape; a funny, provocative and meaningful brand experience.
By giving people the chance to punch Boris Johnson or drop Jacob Rees-Mogg on his face, the class has secured interest from a number of national news outlets including The Metro, Daily Record and Time Out alongside positive social media reactions.
Exercise is a great way to inject energy and adrenaline into a campaign to stimulate a consumer’s attention and enthusiasm for your brand. This isn’t the first time we have seen exercise used as a tool in an experiential campaign; the Twitter Punch Bag is a great example from Bjorn Borg, who also created this controversial US vs Mexico tennis experience.