Launching Wellness Playground

To position fitness services at the frontline of preventative healthcare, One Playground (formerly Fitness Playground) reinvented one of their Sydney facilities to create a new breed of gym. Their very first ‘Wellness Playground’, situated in the inner west suburb of Marrickville.

The space and promotional efforts led the brand to winning International Boutique of the Year.

The Wellness Playground is a state-of-the-art oasis of new studios, hangout spaces, equipment and classes paired with bespoke experiences, which are all uniquely designed to enrich members’ mental wellness as well as physical health.

So, what was created as part of the launch?

This space deserved as much hype as possible. In my role as Head of Creative, with the help of a great team, we created an array of assets.

As we set to open the doors for July 2021 (having no idea that it would be postponed by the Sydney lockdowns), we created a series of campaign-level & teaser content.

Part 1 | Campaign-level content (people & classes)

Over four days of 14-hour shoots, we gathered together the instructors and members of the community, capturing the essence of the class experience. The idea was ‘Unreal gyms, real people’, so of course, we took this on seriously.

Pretty, huh? But wait, there’s moooooore.

And then we moved onto some videography that acted as a teaser for the space, described the experience that we were giving to members, as well as a sick ballerina video.

Part 2 | Standout interior photography

A week before we opened (in October 2021), we had the finished space to ourselves. And used it to our advantage. We also had the pressure of competing with some pretty epic renders, see how some of the shots came out below. These were captured in a 13-hour long shoot.

Part 3 | Captivating facility fly-through

Walking through the physical space felt like you were in another world, that kind of feeling is hard to emulate in a video. But, we did it.

Part 4 | The official opening

When the extended lockdown was over, shortly after, we opened the doors to the public. It was a very long-awaited opening.

Engaging a PR agency, we held a couple events in October 2021 to mark the special occasion:

1. Media & Influencer Event

2. Grand Opening Day

We had a line-up of members outside, our talented instructors on ground, special feature classes, ribbon-cutting, and of course, our whole head office.

Watch the video below for a recap of the opening day:

We also did a reaction piece that we posted after the opening. Which, fun fact, was literally my first time walking through the space before it was finished. The reactions are real, as was the wee'ing of my pants.

What is important to take away?

1. Use your people (if you can) to tell a story and show the world what they can do. It’s also great to showcase culture and give them some content they’d love to share

2. For projects as big as this, and if budget permits, do your research and find the right people for specific deliverables (i.e. a specialist interior photographer)

3. Don’t underestimate behind-the-scenes content (even if shot on an iPhone). Capturing parts of the journey can be the best part

Well, I hope you enjoyed the light (visual) read. Making stuff like this fuels my fire.

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Brand: One Playground

Epic Design: Justin Ashley & Serra Burmin

Creative & Art Direction: Alessia Murer

Videography: Chris Ramirez

People & Class Photography: Jay Patel & Yianni Aspradakis

Interior Photography: Ryan Linnegar

Copywriting & Publicity: Alice Ellis

Environmental Signage: Alice Lo