In a campaign for the Supernatural workout app on the Meta Quest VR headset, Jane Fonda once again brings workouts into the future with the aid of cutting-edge technology.
The :30 spot, created by agency Mythology, pays homage to Fonda’s 1980s VHS workouts with a decidedly modern twist—participants don Meta Quest goggles to experience Supernatural’s immersive workouts.
Participants smash targets on glaciers, navigate jungle obstacles, and box their way through tropical settings.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the campaign.
The Details:
- Relative to other exercise ads over the past year, “Ready to Workout” was an absolute hit, sparking strong Curiosity as well as exceptionally strong interest in trying it out, with 63% positive intent vs a 45% exercise norm:
- The creative also ranks in the very top percentile among exercise ads in Attention, Watchability, Information, and Change – as well as the 98th in Likeability and 97th in Relevance/relatability.
- While 72% recalled Meta Quest as the advertised brand (unaided), this does trail category norms by a few points, with one in ten indicating they simply could not recall the brand. Given the surprising (and distracting) content for some, it is likely that recall will be boosted with additional views of the spot.
- “Ready to Workout” resonated very well with males and females alike, with the characters, visuals, and product itself all making impressions at above-norm rates vs. other exercise ads.
- The creative also ranks in the very top percentile among exercise ads in Attention, Watchability, Information, and Change – as well as the 98th in Likeability and 97th in Relevance/relatability.
Indexed to exercise advertising one-year norms:
- Relative to other recently dropped exercise ads, “Ready to Workout” easily outpaced, with viewer comments pointing to the Funny/Quirky ad approach as well as the fun and interesting new way to exercise:
- Consumer intent ratings suggest that the Meta Quest workout might indeed revolutionize workouts once again, as Jane did back in the 80’s, particularly given the available option to work out at any time, in any number of locations and with relatively little equipment.
Sample comments on “Ready to Workout” :30
“I liked it a lot. It was interesting and funny. Made me curious, made me happy for some reason. Made me wanna actually try it out and made me think about the future and the changes to come with technology.”
Male 36-49
“I think the ad is great because of the way it takes the VR and makes it more purchasable to older people. And that it has fitness in mind. Great ad in every way for this commercial and company.”
Female 36-49
“I liked how naturally the people in the ad were doing fitness with the VR helmets. I think Jane Fonda being in the ad increased her popularity on IMDB.”
Male 21-35
“It looks like an innovative new way to work out and lose weight while at home or wherever you are. And also looks kind of fun!”
Female 36-49
“Love that it shows and portrays a positive impact on people and a product that’s interesting and can help people get more active while having fun.”
Female 36-49
“This was very funny. Smart play using fitness icon Jane Fonda. Funny, nostalgic, and captures the purpose of the Quest.”
Male 36-49
“I am not a huge fan of the female lead in this ad with the white hair. Her expressions and tone were overly animated in a way that felt fake and ungenuine. However, the product itself is very intriguing and the rest of the cast did their part well!”
Female 16-20
“I thought it was good, an interesting use of Jane Fonda, and I liked how it incorporated fitness into gaming in a way that seemed to make sense.”
Female 21-35
“This was fun and intriguing. I loved the music and the characters and their messages about getting fit using Meta Quest.”
Male 21-35
- When viewed as an electronics ad, “Ready to Workout” also outperformed category norms:
- 60% of all sentiment on the ad was positive, with viewers calling out the innovative/’cool’ new product and exercise approach, the entertaining nature of the creative itself, and praise/interest in the Meta Quest product and/or VR as highlights.
- 60% of all sentiment on the ad was positive, with viewers calling out the innovative/’cool’ new product and exercise approach, the entertaining nature of the creative itself, and praise/interest in the Meta Quest product and/or VR as highlights.
Indexed to electronics advertising one-year norms:
- Second-by-second trace suggests that Jane Fonda was enough to engage viewers 21-49 quickly, but the Meta Quest application was needed to bring in those 16-20:
- Meta could consider a shorter form with less Fonda and/or non-skippable media, targeting the younger set.
- “Ready to Workout” ranks as the best received exercise ad of the past year (followed by a :15 deal-focused Planet Fitness spot), and fourth among electronics ads for the past year – pointing to a highly effective creative.
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: Mythology