Parkrun prescribes a winning advert

Parkrun’s impressive ascent from an intimate local gathering to a global phenomenon is matched by a powerfully simple advertising campaign playing on the proven health benefits of being active.

Parkrun is one of those business ideas you wish you’d had.

It started humbly in London in 2004 when 13 friends gathered for a 5km run. Since then, it has grown into a global movement with millions of participants worldwide.

Its latest advert is also the sort of idea you wish you’d had.

Designed to highlight the mental health benefits of running, the charity has launched a series of posters designed to look like doctor's prescription notes.

Developed by creative agency Meanwhile, the campaign highlights the support Parkrun has from the Royal College of General Practitioners, whose initiative encourages GPs to prescribe Parkrun to their patients. Doctors who have done so report improvements in anxiety, depression, and other serious conditions.

James Cross, chief creative officer and founder at Meanwhile, says the advert was designed to highlight the health benefits of running, from supporting mental health to reducing social isolation and improving physical wellbeing.

Our take

Some of the most effective adverts rely on the mini-dopamine hit that comes from deciphering a simple visual cue. ‘I HEART NY’ by Milton Glaser is perhaps the most famous example, with four simple translations being made by the reader in the space of a second.

Parkrun’s ad relies on a similarly simple yet satisfying decipher, with a message about the proven benefits of social activity and exercise relayed in the form of a mock doctor’s note prescribing Parkrun as a form of therapy.