A new multi-platform campaign from Sport Australia, called ‘Move It AUS’, aims to inspire and motivate all Australians to participate in 30 minutes of heart-rate-raising physical activity every day.
Following research showing that 50% of adults and 80% of children in Australia are ‘inactive’, the initiative aims to get Australians to become more physically active and to start moving again as though their lives depended on it with support from a practical platform called #FindYour30..
The campaign’s creative reflects the peak period of Australian sporting greatness and contrasts this with today’s reality that that many Australians are leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
It warns of the impact of this on the nation’s long-term health, wellbeing and even its associated finances.
The objective is plain and simple: to recreate a sport-crazy nation that gets off the couch and back onto the field and which sees every Australian to commit to 30 minutes of activity a day.
Sport Australia, formerly the Australian Sports Commission, developed the integrated initiative in harness with Melbourne based agency AJF Partnership.
‘Move it AUS’ is spearheaded by a hero commercial running across national television and cinema.
The spearhead spot is supported by outdoor, digital, social,
We need to start moving as though our lives depend on it – because if we don’t move it, we’ll lose it. #MoveItAUS #findyour30 pic.twitter.com/G5bUPHN6pk
— Sport Australia (@sportaustralia) August 4, 2018
and other activations all linked by the hashtag #FindYour30 and help drive viewers to the utility and instructional strands of the campaign on a bespoke #Findyour30 microsite at https://www.sportaus.gov.au/findyour30.
Find Your 30 offers practical ways to work hour of activity into everyone’s daily lives.
It focuses on simple solutions – walking the extra street or two to work, taking the stairs and not the lift, and getting the whole family active together – rather than encouraging everyone to join expensive gyms, climb mountains or wear lycra
Sport Australia says all adults aged 18- to 64 should accumulate 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity (or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity) each week.
While children should take part in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day.
This is also the advice of other associated bodies backing the new initiative: including the Department Of Health, the Heart Foundation, Betterhealth, the Australian Medical Association and others.
“It’s time to get united as a nation and prioritise our health for at least 30 minutes a day,” commented General Manager/CMO of Marketing, Customer Insights and Analytics for Sport Australia Louise Eyres.
“We know that just 30 minutes of physical activity every day reduces the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer, so it’s an important, and fundamental message for all, and in-particular, for young Australians.”
AJF ECD Adam Francis also used the initiative’s launch event to face the reality that while Australian’s still like to refer to the country as a ‘sporting nation’, today’s statistics simply do not reflect this.
“It’s been great working with Sport Australia to develop a campaign that not only holds the mirror up to Australia’s fitness levels but also offers a simple solution to lift the nation’s heart rate, ” said Francis.
Comment:
It is always a serious challenge to get huge population segments to shift behaviours.
But it is an admirable and necessary challenge to take on.
Australia has traditionally been known globally as a great sporting nation: a country with a commitment to sport and exercise that sees it bat above its international average on the global sports stage and which means most of its citizens lead healthy, active lifestyle.
But in recent years things have changed – perhaps linked to the associated effect of the rise of screens and delivery – and this campaign aims to reverse the recent trend for Australians becoming a country of spectators rather than participants.
While the lead creative aims to catch people’s attention and motivate them through the past glory days of Australian sport, the supporting online details outline the stresses and dangers associated with sedentary lifestyles.
A necessary and admirable campaign taking on real challenges: but does so much creative slow motion quite drive home a motivational message about inspiring more high intensity movement?
As well as the campaign launch, Sport Australia also used the initiative to launch a new brand identity (also developed with AJF Partnership).
Links:
Sport Australia
https://twitter.com/sportaustralia
https://www.facebook.com/SportAUS
https://www.instagram.com/australian_institute_of_sport/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ausport
AJF Partnership
http://www.ajfpartnership.com.au/
