Planet Fitness has teamed up with Comedy Central comedians and real-life couple Rosebud Baker and Andy Haynes in a new video series portraying the duo in the middle of an awkward breakup–with their couch. 

The new series was inspired by a recent study conducted by ad agency Barkley that shows 72% of people spent more time sitting on their couch in 2020 than in the previous year. The concept, script and production came out of a collaborative effort among Barkley, Comedy Central and ViacomCBS’ in-house branded content studio, Velocity.

“As this pandemic has worn on and people have been stuck at home, motivation to get started is the biggest obstacle to fitness,” said Jeremy Tucker, chief marketing officer at Planet Fitness. “Exercise is a key component to strong physical and mental health, and we know what people really need right now is a good laugh to help get us through this pandemic, alleviate stress, and motivate us to move again.”

Filmed in the couple’s New York City apartment, the spot, titled “Rosebud Baker & Andy Haynes Are Moving On,” sees the comedians having what appears to be a brutally honest breakup. Through a series of single framed, one-sided dialogues, Haynes says, “When I met you, you were really firm and curvy, and now you’re kinda saggy,” to which Baker joins in with “Yeah? Well, you smell like farts.” Several insults later, we realize that they are not breaking up with each other but with their couch. 

“It’s a universal truth that we are all beginning to have a toxic relationship with our couches this year,” said Tom Demetriou, executive creative director at Barkley. “We love working with brands like Planet Fitness who are willing to collaborate creatively and stand true to their brand purpose that fitness is for everyone.”

This video series is just one of the ways Barkley and Planet Fitness are using laughter to shake people out of their stillness. Additionally, in December Planet Fitness trainers will instill some comedy into their United We Move live workouts with “Laugh Out Loud” week (streamed on Facebook) and two comedic social influencers will present Cardio Comedy: a visit to Planet Fitness that gets funnier and faster the longer it goes. 
 
The spot–directed by Charlie Gruet–will air on Comedy Central as well as across ViacomCBS digital and social platforms.

Both Rosebud and Andy appear in “Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring,” a short-form, original digital stand-up series that streams weekly on Comedy Central’s stand-up YouTube channel.

Credits

Client Planet Fitness Agency Barkley Katy Hornaday, chief creative officer; Tom Demetriou, executive creative director; Melanie Simonich, group creative director; Jeremy Gilberto, Jordan Breindel, Stacia Weiss, creative directors; Chris Cardetti, executive strategy director; Molly Griffin, strategy director. Production/Creative ViacomCBS (Velocity & Comedy Central) Beth Trentacoste, SVP, Velocity Creative; Spencer Parker, VP, Velocity Creative; Ben Casper, creative director, Velocity Creative; Carrie Williams, executive producer, Velocity Creative; Matt Hoffman, writer/editor, Velocity Creative; Najeeb Hussain, production coordinator, Velocity Creative; Charlie Gruet, director; Jake Zortman, DP; Michelle Zoni, SVP, Velocity Activation; Carmen Liu, VP, Velocity Activation; Ryan Moran, VP, Comedy Central Talent; Gabriella Yacyk, sr. coordinator, Comedy Central Talent.

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