ASICS writes a paid 15-minute movement break into employment contracts — Silver Lion

ASICS's State of Mind study of 26,000 people found mental wellbeing declines after two hours of continuous desk work — but a 15-minute movement break reverses it. The brand wanted to act on the science, not just advertise it.

Make desk breaks contractual: an employment clause guaranteeing a paid 15-minute movement break, added to ASICS's own contracts and given away free.

Golin hired Succession's Brian Cox as 'the world's scariest boss' for a 75-second PSA, built a free Desk Break Clause template employers could adopt, seeded it with HR and workplace influencers, and ran #DeskBreak empty-desk posts that raised charity funds.

Reached 2.3B people across 37 countries; 1.2M desk breaks taken; 60+ companies adopted the clause; WHO's Director-General shared it; 10M+ organic PSA views; Silver Lion for B2B Influencer Marketing at Cannes 2025.

In September 2024, ASICS and PR agency Golin launched 'The Desk Break', an earned-first campaign built on the brand's 2023 State of Mind study of 26,000 people in 22 countries. It found that mental wellbeing starts to decline after just two hours of continuous desk work, with stress rising sharply after four hours. Instead of running another wellness ad, ASICS did something a sports brand had never done: it entered the world of employment law.

Working with Dr Brendon Stubbs of King's College London, ASICS ran an experiment in which 80 office workers added a daily 15-minute movement break for a week: State of Mind scores jumped 22.5%, stress fell 14.7%, productivity rose 33.2% and focus improved 28.6%. Armed with that evidence, the brand created the world's first employment contract clause for movement — a legally worded guarantee of a paid 15-minute Desk Break — added it to ASICS UK contracts, and gave the clause away for any employer to use.

To make the science loud, Succession's Brian Cox starred as 'the world's scariest boss' in a 75-second PSA that ends with him in gym shorts yelling 'Run, jump, roller-skate... just move for your mind.' HR and workplace influencers spread the clause, and #DeskBreak empty-desk posts before World Mental Health Day raised charity funds. The campaign reached 2.3B people in 37 countries, tracked 1.2M real desk breaks, saw 60+ companies adopt the clause, was shared by the WHO Director-General — and won a Creative B2B Silver Lion at Cannes 2025.

The clause is a product, not an ad — companies can literally adopt it, so awareness converts into policy.

The science came first: a 26,000-person study plus a controlled experiment made every claim verifiable.

Brian Cox's scary-boss PSA made a workplace-health lecture entertaining and shareable.

Earned-first and free to use: 60+ employers adopted a clause ASICS gave away, spreading the brand's purpose without media spend.

A brand can change culture by changing the instruments of work: give people a legal, shareable artifact — a contract clause — and celebrity makes the science loud.

By Cannes 2025 the campaign had reached 2.3B people, tracked 1.2M desk breaks, and won a Creative B2B Silver Lion for B2B Influencer Marketing. ASICS said it lifted all brand metrics 'both significantly and simultaneously', including a 25% rise in association with Sound Mind, Sound Body and a 32% rise in likelihood to recommend.