• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 10, 2023

Anytime Fitness isn’t airing an ad in the Super Bowl but it is inserting itself into all the big game hoopla with a social media promotion that requires participants to tune in to the live broadcast.

The basic idea is to be on the alert for anytime the word “anytime” is uttered from kick-off through the conclusion of the game.

That includes all commentary during the game, any chatter picked up by on-field microphones, timeouts, all commercial breaks and half-time.

Anytime a viewer hears the word anytime spoken they can post to twitter or Instagram with #JustHeardAnytime for a chance to win a trip “anywhere in the world there’s an Anytime location.” That’s a lot of locations—the company says it has 5,000 gyms with locations on all seven continents.

Hmmm, I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica.

There are other prizes for those that don’t win a trip, like free memberships to Anytime.

Julie Anderla, vice president, marketing, Anytime Fitness, stated, “We know that New Year's Resolutions are typically abandoned in mid-February, so Sunday’s telecast presents the chance to engage with viewers while offering a free opportunity to get back in the gym and burn off some of those calories consumed during the Big Game.”

The effort was orchestrated by agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address. The shop created some videos to further explain and promote the sweepstakes.

I wonder how many times the word anytime will be uttered during the game. Google didn’t offer any clues. When I asked Alexa she replied, “sorry I don’t know that.” Which is fine. Better she should focus on things that matter, like how many gallons of water are in the Pacific Ocean. She knows the answer to that one.