Bulk Wants Gym Enthusiasts to Take Dope (Legally)

Leading sports nutrition brand, Bulk, has today released a provocative new social-led integrated creative campaign in support of the launch of their new pre-workout supplement, DOPE. 

Created by TMW, the campaign is called “Enhance Performance, Legally” and plays on the name, benefits and packaging of the product. 

The pre-workout supplement, which gives gym-goers extra focus, energy and increased performance comes in a distinctive tub evoking pharmaceutical packing. It’s so good, you won’t believe it’s legal. 

The campaign’s hero film opens with a focused gym-goer confronting the camera and the question “Why do I take DOPE?”. We then follow the gym-goer through their workout - a performance so intense it’s bound to raise eyebrows. It’s only at the final reveal that it’s made clear the product isn’t actually illicit as the viewer might think – and that there’s no reason not to take DOPE.  

The campaign runs across digital and OOH, also includes tongue-in-cheek lines such as,” Performance of a cheat, conscience of a saint”, “Your gym buddy’s gonna have questions” and “Smash your workout, maintain your reputation”. 

The film was directed by Arthur Lewin from Ecstasy of Gold, which produced the film in collaboration with Move Studio, TMW’s in-house production agency. 

This is TMW’s second campaign for Bulk, following their appointment by competitive pitch in 2023. 

Billie Bradberry, chief marketing officer, Bulk said, “Campaigns like this are fun to work on but not always easy to land, being provocative can be tricky! Bulk DOPE Pre-workout is an incredible product that required a position and campaign worthy of it. TMW helped us nail that.”  

Graeme Noble, chief creative officer, TMW said “A bit like gym-goers, Bulk were looking for every performance advantage they could find. With a product like DOPE, we needed a campaign that stood out in the category and could deliver some impressive results – all entirely legally, of course.” 

Credits

Title/Project: Bulk Dope Pre-Workout Launch

Brief: Raise awareness of Bulk’s new Pre-Workout range and its benefits

Agency - TMW Unlimited

Client name & Job titles: Billie Bradberry – Chief Marketing Officer

Ciaran Lyne – Brand Director

Beth Thomasson – Brand Manager

Will Ford – Creative Director

Emilia Steffen – Brand Manager (Europe)

Chief Creative Officer - Graeme Noble

Creative Director - Thomas Harrington

Creatives - Jake Fasano, Carl Winterbourne, David Arns, Martin Parker & Ivan Langham

Planner/CSU Director - Phoebe Rodgers

Account Team - Kate Howarth, Sophie Peck & Sophie Proops

Producers - Ysabel Pheifer, Lee Richards, Millie Graham-Campbell, Rob Tavernier

Production company - Move Studios & Ecstasy of Gold

DOP - Arthur Lewin

Post Production - Ecstasy of Gold