The New Public Gym

Ok people. We know January’s habitually a month of soon-to-be-abandoned hopes for shedding the extra baggage you brought home over the holidays.

But, did we miss the memo on the public workout fad?

First, Gap announces that they’re temporarily dedicating their NYC concept store to workout attire, and partnered with Crunch gym to bring in trainers for in-store demonstrations.

Then, we get word that select Target stores are setting up Wii Fit Plus systems for their customers who like to do their (yoga) posing in public.

So, when we heard about an Argentinean Nike display that donates money to UNICEF for every kilometer run on the embedded treadmill, we knew there was something afoot.

(Get it? Afoot? Aww, you’re no pun. I mean fun.)

Awesome jokes aside, what’s going on here? From our vantage point, it looks like all these brands are confronting the unpleasantness of working out with a variety of social, communal, and charitable incentives. And it’s a smart move, too. Nike certainly knows the power of tapping Niche Networks and Micro Communities (that’s right, Trend #4 from our 10 Trends!) to motivate runners, as demonstrated by the various programs under their Nike+ umbrella.

For brands that are looking for refreshing ways to approach the topics of diet, health & wellness, and vitality, the social, communal, and charitable routes each provide new ways of tackling the problem of motivation. When exercise is experienced with friends, or in a supportive community, or for the good of others, the benefits of working out might finally outweigh the desire to sit on your couch and watch a Bravo channel marathon.

Then again, we’ll see what we have to say about this come February.