If that's kilos, the total weight on the bench including items is about 150lbs.

At the most rudimentary level, I suppose raising awareness could be a good thing. Obviously however, it doesn't account for even basic considerations such as height or gender in relation to weight. A public health emphasis needs to be on healthy weight, not just weight. Simply focusing on "weight" as indicated by a scale is not a perfect solution by any means (and might even have some negative consequences), though raising awareness would probably offset these downsides in our increasingly obese culture.

Not to be crass, but this bench is telling all the fat people who sit on it to GET TO THE GYM! Obesity is a health epidemic, granted. However, your health (including your weight) is a private matter. No one has the right to use your health for financial gain. This bench is a cause and effect story about how many people commit suicide after people laugh at them when they were sitting on the bench.

i think this bench is a great idea. as i see it, this bench shoves peoples physical standing in their face which could in tern help them do something about it instead of just hiding behind their skin. its also quite interesting because their is the weight shown digitally at the top of the sign(the potential problem) and the name of the gym below(as the solution). so its not only making people aware but advertising for this gym because it forces the people who sit down to circulate this potential problem and solution through their minds which can potentially effect the efficiency of the advertisement. it screams"be able to sit down and be proud of your weight!"

im quite excited now that i understand the thought behind the advertisement. buy making the problem clear and then offering the solution so simply, the person(consumer?) is forced to circulate the process through their thinking process which in tern enhances the efficiency of the advertisement!

I don't know; I can see a lot of privacy issues being raised with this thing. Not sure how I feel about the public revealing of personal information like that.

Then again, if I care that much maybe it's better that I stand and wait rather than sit.

I think that having a public bench display something as private as your weight is an infringement on privacy, allthough a very creative and innovative idea but Im sure that no that many people would choose to sin on that particular bench. From a commercial standpoint, perhaps it could help motivate people to go to the gym, but the side could scare people away from your gym resulting in bad PR. In this case the cons outweigh the pros. I think you could tell an intentional causal story about this bench if it were coming from a patrons view. An outraged, or bothered person may strongly believe that someone meant to anger them on purpose. But people who gladly sit on the bench are most likely confident individuals, who may decide to check out that gym(maybe not) or unsuspecting individuals who may not notice this number until its too late, and then their feelings on the bench may vary depending on the person.

I can go either way with this bench. On one hand, it's an interesting concept, and weight is SUCH a sensitive (and defining) subject for so many people that I can see it being a very effective advertising strategy. Also, when it comes down to it, the gym is just a business trying to make money - it's not their fault that people have all kinds of emotional issues around weight. On the other hand, for someone with an eating disorder, for example, something like that could be seriously damaging. While I don't usually advocate limiting freedoms to appease minorities (and probably still wouldn't in this case), it is a medical fact that for the most part, being significantly underweight is exponentially worse for your body than being significantly overweight. Also, health has many components. Weight is an easy one to focus on because it's accessible, but it is really only a useful and effective standard of judging health when viewed against the backdrop of the other factors, and isolating it can lead to health problems as well (ex: if your BMI is exactly where it "should" be but you only eat Wonder Bread and frozen yogurt and can't lift more than 10 lbs, how healthy are you? There are plenty of "skinny fat people" out there). Subjective judgments aside, I think the causal story being told is an intentional one. It is an advertisement - by definition, the company is trying to create an effect that will get people to join their gym, so obviously the intention is there. If you were looking at it as being a problem because it could aggravate/trigger an eating disorder or create an unhealthy focus on weight under the guise of general health, you could definitely construct an inadvertent story about that.

This is a great way not only for this business to raise awareness
to potential clients of their obesity, but it is also a good way to raise awareness in people that don't have an interest in a gym membership. Yes I agree with what Alex had to say that a persons weight and medical condition is their own personal information for them to know and them alone, this scale is only showing a persons weight, not saying that they have an std or something. If someone is not comfortable with their weight and doesn't want others to know about it, then they shouldn't sit on the bench, no one is making them. If anything, if someone is that embarrassed about their weight and doesn't want it to show up on the screen, then standing rather than sitting may be a healthier alternative. Burn some more calories until you do feel comfortable about sitting on the bench. Also there is no way that this is the only bench near this bus stop in Amsterdam. I'm sure there are other places that someone could find a comfortable seat while waiting for a bus.

I definitely think this is an effective advertising campaign. I think this can be argued to be an intentional causal story but also as unintentional. For intentional, I think the gym is trying to make people realize they are overweight. Then if they realize this and also realize that the public can see this, then the gym might think that the people will become self conscious and might think about joining the gym. As a person on the bench, if I realize that the number is higher than the average, I might think that I want to lower it because I don't want random people knowing I am overweight, so I might check out this gym. For the intentional argument, I think the gym could argue they aren't trying to get a certain response from the bus takers. They might just be giving a general health statement. For example, they could just be saying that on average, people who ride the bus are overweight. They might not be trying to increase gym membership but instead just be trying to bring awareness to the public.

Although I can see pros and cons for this advertisement, I don't think it is that bad of an idea. Most of the time there will probably be more than one person on bench which masks everyone's individual weight for those who are self conscious. I think it is a great motivational tool because either you see your weight and you feel good about it so you work out to keep your figure, or you see your weight and are unhappy with it so you work out to improve yourself. And when it all boils down, there are very few people who even care about the number posted.

I would have to agree that the bench is a great add campaign for the gym but from a moral stand point it is terrible.. letting everyone know how much they whey could hurt a lot of people's feelings that may be extremely self-conscious. I thing that in todays world people are becoming more health conscious than before and having this bench could help those other people get healthier.

This was an interesting topic. I am sure that a bunch of people would be offended by having themselves weighed every time they sat down. However by being controversial it gets peoples attention and does its purpose as an advertisement. I think it would be interesting to see how Americans would react to this type of public humiliation. I think it would tell an interesting story if the department of health and Human services were to distribute these around the country to show how much of a problem obesity really is.

I agree with many of the comments already posted; its easy to go either way, but I'm leaning towards saying its okay. I am not sure if in Europe (where I assume the scale is) weight is as big as a health crisis as it is here the US. I think it would be a good advertisement and in general a good reminder to the public about maintaining a healthy weight. Yeah, you could argue that weight is one's private concern, but no one is forcing the waiting bus riders to take a seat. If someone is really that embarrassed to have their weight displayed then they can stand, the average waiting time for a bus is not going to kill them. For that matter, at a bus stop their sitting and waiting to get on a bus where they'll sit and wait some more. Why couldn't they just ride their bikes?

There are a lot of good points that have already been made. However, I agree with the comment that said the bench does not take into consideration the height, gender, and other factors that decide 'healthy weight'. Obviously a 6'6'' person may weigh more than people that are under 6'6'', but that does not mean the person is over weight. The 6'6'' person could weigh 200lbs. and be skinny, while a 5'11'' person weigh 200lbs and be considered over weight. The people that walk by will only see that number and might judge it without taking the other factors into consideration. On the other hand, this is also not a bad marketing plan on the gym's part. In my opinion, I feel that if someone sat on the bench and saw that their weight was not at par with what they wanted, they would take action and use this type of advertising. Even if they don't use the gym's advertising, the bench weigher might spark the person to take their own actions and start riding a bike, running, lifting weights, shooting some baskets, etc. Overall, this is a new and fun way to promote healthy behavior and advertise for companies.

i believe that it is not the responsibility of the government to regulate peoples weight. Eentually people have to start taking responibility for themselves.

I think that this bench is a clever idea. I think that it could make a bigger impact on people because it is a public viewing so everyone can see. At the same time though people are self concious about their weight and I think that there are better ways to promote "healthy weight" other than making it a public. I also agree with the above comment about how you must take into consideration the persons height .

I think the idea behind this bench would be great to bring awareness to the epidemic of obesity. The rise in things like Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure are a direct result of people not taking care of themselves and being at a unhealthy weight. I agree with the blog above that height is defently a issue as well, and that the weight itself should not be the focus, but rather a "healthy weight" should be the target of this campaign. Overall this sort of campaign would never be allowed in America, but i think something similar could really make an lasting affect on the growing problem of obesity here in America.

This is great!!! i would love it if they put these weight benches in the United States. I think it would great to see peoples reactions when they sit down and they see how much they really weigh. This could help the United States over weight problem because people are alrready worried about what other people think about them and know if they have to worry about sitting down on a bench to relax the will have to worry about people seeing their weight.
Also this could be a very bad thing because people are so woried on what other people think. THat people could start killing themselves because they dont like to be over weight and now people will see how much they weigh on the street and hate their bodies even more.

I'm a little bias by this advertisment. Yes it is a great way to show people how much they weight and tell themselves that maybe I want to lose some weight and the gym could help out. But on the other hand not everyone is gonna think it could be liable. Not everyone is goning to have a postive aspect on the whole thing. Theres women who never want to know weight because it sends a negative feeling and could get into a depression. It could work for some people to change but I think it could be a greater loss than a gain for everybody.

Although this is a very bold way to advertise and may offend people, it also makes the public aware of the obesity issue that is prevalent in our society. I think this add is telling the story that many people who sit on the bench will not be 100% satisfied with their body. In fact, even those who are in good shape will probably have some sort of physical goal they want to achieve. This add promotes physical fitness goals. For those who do not want their weight publicly announced, they will feel ashamed to sit on the bench and will most likely stand up. This is also a point the add is trying to make. If you are not comfortable enough with your weight to have it publicly displayed, then you need to either gain some confidence in yourself or hit the gym. This is definitely a harsh way to encourage physical fitness, but then again the numbers of obese people are harsh as well and this will be an effective way to get the message across.

The story being told here is that people who are overweight need to use a gym. That's the whole point of making it publicly available to people passing by. Rationally speaking, this is something the government should and promote. This could encourage people to, in shame of their weight, do something to loose some weight, whether they join a gym or go on a diet. However, emotionally speaking, the government should have no part in promoting this and should do the opposite. If a person is overweight, they're overweight... who cares! That is there business. There is no reason to shame a person in front of the world. The last thing I think to consider, if the government was to promote this, is to asses the chances of people actually using bus stops. Buses are not popular everywhere, so promoting something like this may not be an effective use of the government's time and money.

This is a good idea, but it could also discourage people from working out. It could be seen as a form of public humiliation. On a positive note, I like it. It would definitely make me want to go to the gym if I wasn't happy with my weight. But that may just be me. And by the weight being in Kg this is in Europe somewhere. They seem to be much more open about their personal things than a lot of Americans are. They could turn this into a public health thing. They could connect weight to heart problems, diabetes, and other things like that. That would be a great way to make people more aware of health problems that are linked to weight.

Personally, I think it is a great idea, but it will never happen. I think that it is time for people to become more aware about weight issues and what better way than to have everyone be able to see it? Yes, it could be embarresing, but no one is making them sit on the bench. The bench could be something positive. It could be something someone could be proud of by showing everyone else there weight. It could be very motivating seeing a fit person sitting on the bench and wanting to be like them. Although I think it is a good idea, society will most likely view it as cruel and a violation of rights. i could especially see America having a problem with this because people tend to not be open to these radical methods of encouraging weight loss. Good idea? yes Will it ever spread? definately not in the US

I feel like the bench could help but for the most part I think it would jut make people upset and even mad that the gym would embarrass with a bench that would tell everyone at the bus stop what they weighed. Good idea and intentions but it would just upset the people it was intended for. The government would be criticized if they spent money on something like that and would also upset the people. In all it was Creative but I just do not see it working out.

Displaying the weight of a person sitting on the bench can be good because if someone isn't happy with their weight, they will be motivated to see their weight lower overtime. It will increase individual awareness of one’s own weight which is what the gym is trying to do. For overweight people, this will make them feel like they have to do something about their weight which can result in 1 more member to the gym. On the other hand, many can argue that displaying one’s weight publicly isn't right. That’s everyone’s own business and it shouldn't be open to the public. Also, the gym is trying to make the people feel embarrassed for how much they weigh. It’s trying to make it so that if you don’t want to feel ashamed of how much you weigh, then you have to go to the gym and become a member.

The bench weighing people when they sit down is a neat idea. The people waiting will sit on the bench and see how much they weigh. The gym who is advertising will probably get more members to join their gym. This way of advertising influences the customers to go and get a membership.Once they see their weight on the screen, they will either be satisfied or not, and want to work out. Most of the time the people sitting on the bench will not be satisfied and will want to lose the weight. They will think about joining the gym being advertised. The people sitting on the bench are probably easily persuaded as well because it is their own weight being put into the picture. By offering a reward, such as losing the weight by going to the gym,leads to more customers. Policy is this way with inducements. They are leading others by persuasion and offering incentives.

This add is great for many reasons. It benefits the gym by putting them in the public's view. It gives them great publicity. It could benefit any government that tries to use it to get a better healthier nation. It benefits the people that sit on the bench by kindly reminding them of their weight. Sure their are going to be people that say the opposite, that it is rude, its advertisement is too bold and all sorts of things. However I believe the biggest benefit comes to the public because they are reminded to stay healthy, if they take it positively or negatively, that is totally up to them.

I like this bold type of advertisement. Of course the public will be split over its opinions. Some will say it's too offensive by allowing others to see their weight, and others will argue that it serves to benefit health consciousness while at the same time helping to bring new members to the endorsing gym. I think the people who would find this ad offensive would be the ones who are in denial of their poor health and/or do not want to be reminded of it, whereas healthy people probably would not have any issues with it. I think this ad will help people realize that they should do something about their health if they really need to, and if public humiliation is part of that process, then so be it. Overall, this idea is great because it brings business to the gym and further alerts people of their health.

I think that this idea is very creative as a push to get a gym membership and I think government would use it for a health program if they thought it to be effective and that people would not be in an outrage against this(but they would be). I think that this would be effective if there was multiple because then people could not avoid seeing their weight at some point, rather than just having one and have to avoid that one bench if that makes sense. The people that would dare sit on the bench would be brave and confident about their weight most likely or just not care. Others would avoid sitting on the bench altogether to avoid seeing their own weight. I see this bench as a motivater even if there is just one in an area as it brings the issue of weight in front of people's faces in daily life instead of that bathroom scale shoved in a corner somewhere. The embarassment of sitting on the bench would be horrible in such a judgemental society, but really it is better than having health issues if something really needs to be done. People need to embrace their weight and face the facts with what needs to be done and this bench might be that push the people need.

Okay, I see a lot of commentators here saying that the bench weight idea is a bold one and could be effective, but I'm going to have to strongly disagree. First of all, the purpose of this advertisement is to prompt people to go to the gym to lose weight. I think it's cheap and low blow, not "bold" at all. Because contrary to popular belief, being a certain weight doesn't necessarily make you "fat", nor does it mean that you need to work out more. Weight can be determined by bone mass, by muscles, by size, by structure, etc. Not only that, but what may be an unhealthy weight for one person could be totally fine for another. This is a type of body-shaming, of making people ashamed of their weight when they may not even be overweight at all. This advertisement isn't saying "you're not healthy, let's go work out". It's saying "you don't fit an ideal standard, you should be ashamed of how you look even if you can't lose the weight". Putting all that aside, the bench wouldn't even be that successful because no one would want to sit on it.

I find the idea really horrible and really unnecessary. Weight does not determine whether one is healthy or not. Like I said before, different people have different circumstances. Either way, it employs shame and humiliation in order to complete its purpose, and body-shaming is never a good way of trying to get clients.

Interesting, there are two ways someone could look at this advertisement: 1) A "Big Brother" type of development that they will use to monitor health 2) A creative way to advertise and promote public health for a gym.

It is clearly a looker but the implications can be larger than just a simple advertisement. Who is to say that if the same gym puts that advertisement/weight bench in multiple locations that the government wont tap into that data. However tapping into that data may not mean anything, what could they do with that information other than promoting good health. The only country I can think of that requires their citizenry to exercise in China.
I personally think this a really clever and gutsy way to advertise. If people there really hate that bench because it displays their weight than they will hear about it. If they love it then it will attract even more attention for a positive reason, maybe even make it a competition.
Either way people will still be drawn to it because of its creativity and its obscurity, and isn't that what ads are supposed to do?

Look. I do not think that you are going to win people over by shaming them in front of others. The scale itself will simply make those who sit on it associate the campaign with negativity. Policy should reflect the possible positive outcomes that a program should offer, not shame someone until they try to reach the same outcome.

Instead, a policy on health/weight loss should focus on how eating right and exercising can benefit you. Such as the many commercials we see today that show older people having active lives by biking and eating vegetables. I understand that this may be cliche, but it is a better option than the so-called "edgy" advertising that this blog is focused around. It may get people's attention, but it won't want them to go to the gym anymore.

I think that this is a horrible way to influence people to be healthier. In addition, I do not think that the bus company, which relies on people to pay for transit, would like this ploy either. If people sit on the bench and are weighed than they may choose to take another method of transportation that will not support the humiliation of individuals who sit on that bench. I hope that the government would never promote health in this type of manner because telling people they are overweight will not solve the problem. People have to understand the importance of being a healthy weight as opposed to just telling them what they are. In addition, I believe that people have the right to be unhealthy if they want to be. The government should not be able to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own body, just look at all the court cases which support that belief. I think if the government wants to encourage a healthier lifestyle there should be benefits to those who do so, but they should not be able to penalize or embarrass those who chose not to live a certain lifestyle.

I believe this advertisement has the power to either boldly make a statement or offend people. If I was to sit down on the bench and I looked over and saw how much the scale weighed me as, it would be great personal motivation to feel the need to get in shape. On the other hand, I asked my roommate what she felt about it. She stated that her weight is something she does now want to be shared with everyone. She would feel more entitled to stand than sit down on the scale bench. The overall picture and story here though is that as a whole people are overweight and obesity is a problem that is quickly growing in the world. This is just a public display of the issue.

As bold as this advertisement is, I love it. United states and elsewhere we have seen and learned about our obesity epidemic. People are so afraid to push ideas such as this, and many will continue on with their McDonald's and unhealthy lifestyle. Yes this ad is on the extreme side but citizens don't have to sit on it, we sit enough! However I feel that the government as well as the company running the ad will get a negative response and the weight loss idea will be charged as humiliating or shameful.

Overall the main point of this add is to grab your attention about health issues and weight loss and it does! Being overweight you might see it as shameful but in the end the bench accomplishes what its there to do.

I think that talking about peoples weight almost falls into that same category of politics and religion in that it has somehow developed into taboo to talk about especially if the person is even slightly overweight or even just the heaviest in the room as if it was a disability and not just the reaction to a series of unhealthy decisions. I think that this bench idea could be used in a similar way that the news channels and their "agenda setting", just getting people to think about their weight and maybe if it just gets people to think twice before pulling into the drive though or maybe go for a jog rather than watching their favorite television show. I think that this can only benefit people, some wil call it humiliating but overall it will just raise personal health awareness and possibly even get people to start supporting healthier local food businesses rather than the chain fast food industry that is poisoning American people every day.

I think this is the blog spot for Intro to Public Policies in regards to the weight bench in Amsterdam. I agree with a previous comment above how the weight bench could be portrayed as invasion of privacy, however one could stand to avoid that. It is an interesting debate on healthier lifestyles being subtly enforced by public policies. My personal opinion is governments only objective should be to protect us from harm and if obesity would fall under harm than that should be diplomatically discussed amongst the community. In other words I am not an advocate for a weight bench since there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed, i.e., social inequality.

This bench is an example of how a government can be too involved in society's lives. Having a bench like this is invading an individual's privacy as it is displaying their weight for the public to see. Obesity is an issue that many countries have to deal with, but a person's weight should not be exposed for the point to get across. Healthier life styles should be enforced everywhere, but taking such a direct, visible approach can create even more arguments to the weight issue.

I think this is probably one of the most brilliant bus stop advertisements i have ever seen. The reason why this is such a great ad is that it plays on people's insecurities about their own weight and the fact that a gym is the provider of the ad makes it even better. Is this ad kind of rude or socially inconsiderate? Probably, but no one is forcing you to sit on the bench and if you are in shape you have nothing to fear. If you do not like what you see on the screen then you have the opportunity to fix the problem by going to the gym. A great ad to make people get in shape.

In my opinion I feel like this sort of advertisement is a great inducement to have people really consider their weight and what they eat. I love how blunt and honest this sort of display is because it isn't holding back the reality of obesity in their country. In my places in the world especially the United States obesity is a major problem that needs to be dealt with. I feel like this would sort of bus stop would open the eyes of many people to the problems of weight in our world around us. In my opinion I feel like more people after sitting on the bench and seeing their weight would start to think more about what they are putting into their bodies and how much they are exercising or not exercising. If people are scared to sit on the bench in fear of the worst results would just make them even more think about changing their diet and exercise plans. In the end this is a great way to make people become more aware of their weight and health.

This seems a bit to invasive of the people's personal information. Making people feel uncomfortable and insecure about themselves isn't the way to encourage gym memberships. Making them want to join to make them healthier should be the focus. This specific tactic does nothing but show the person how heavy they are, which most people already know. This ad only makes it public to everyone, which I think is ridiculous.

It seems to me that, as clever as this idea is, it may have the opposite of the desired affect. Insulting and embarrassing your potential clients publicly does not seem like an efficient way to make them come to your gym. It may inspire them to begin exercising, but it will most likely make them want to do so privately or at any other gym. I feel like this ad would be far more affective if, rather than making the bench itself the scale, they had a scale set up beside it, with a sign explaining it. Then people could choose to weigh themselves if they want to, and it would become a fun, funny, interactive ad rather than a degrading, invasive ad. Even if there was a sign explaining that the bench was a scale, many people will probably not notice it or take the time to read it until after they have sat, at which point their private information will have already been broadcasted to the world. This is invasive and counter-productive.

I feel that this gym ad violates people's privacy. Is it an effective inducement? I believe so. I think people of average weight would feel comfortable sitting on the bench. Overweight and underweight people would feel violated and uncomfortable, showing the public how much they weigh. Maybe the ad should just have a picture of someone sitting on the ad, it wouldn't so boldly stated but would get the promotion across to the public.

I think that this bench is being used in a wrong way, violating private information that shouldn't be shared without consent. A bench is a bench! I understand how this can benefit the gym, but isn't there another way to convince people to go to the gym. And if not, then maybe it's each individuals own prerogative to go to the gym. Obesity is undeniably an epidemic but invasively broadcasting somebody's weight to whoever walks by is definitely not the proper way to go about fixing the problem. I do commend whoever came up with this though, it just should have been thought about in a more humane way.

I think that this advertisement is quite genius. I think that this really makes people conscious about eating right and exercising. I really agree with what Kevin was saying. It can really make people think about their weight and more aware of their health. I think more advertisements like this could really help america and our obesity problem.

This bench is a major wake up call, not to mention a breach of privacy. This bench opens people's eyes to how heavy they are. If they are afraid to step on a scale because of their weight, they are forced to go on a scale and have their real weight exposed. I understand that it's to raise awareness amd to get Gm membership up, but I think that is crossing a line. People's weight are their own problems and should not be publicized without the consent of the person whose weight it is. It is their decision and if they feel the need to get a gym membership, an that is their own decision and does not need to be forced upon the person

I believe that the bench is a great idea but it depends on whose idea it is. The idea of shame is something that today’s society looks down upon. People don’t like to be shamed and everybody wants to feel good about themselves. I’m fine with that except when people decided to feel good about thing like being unhealthy. These people would hate a bench like that because it is not sugar coated, it’s blunt and honest. In a lot a ways this is just what society need to wake up in some situations. If people want to avoid having their weight seen then they could just stand, but this in turn with make them even more obvious that they are overweight. Either way they can hide thanks to this bench. Granted there are some people who see the numbers different. An average sized woman could see herself as unhealthy just because the scale doesn’t show a supermodels numbers. Weight is a part of life. Maybe this bench should make its way to America.

I agree with Karina that this bold move is not a good idea. In the first place, I don't think many people would use the bench, especially if they are uncomfortable with their weight. Also, you can't determine if a person is healthy or not based on their weight. Everyone's body is built differently and therefore you can't choose a perfect weight number for everyone to be that would consider them healthy. For example, people who are taller tend to weigh more than those that are shorter, even if they are skinnier. Embarrassing people about their weight is just mean. And I feel like a lot of people would choose to stand or sit on the ground rather than sit on the bench and have their weight displayed for everyone to see it. I also agree with Morgan that everyone's weight number is a personal issue and creating a bench like this is invading people's privacy.

I think that this is a violation of one's privacy. Technically this is actually against HIPAA regulations by exposing their weight. Obese people already feel embarrassed by how they look and this could cause severe emotional scarring. This would also have the opposite effect and make obese people not want to leave their house in general. It could have the desired effect, but the methodology is slightly cruel. People would maybe want to go to the gym and improve themselves.

This idea of a weight-reading bench is rather clever on the gym's part: if one chooses to sit on the bench, they are faced with the possibly unsettling reality of their weight, or if they choose to not partake in sitting, they are partaking in a less lazy activity which would indirectly also promote the gym's intentions. For their purposes, the ad is successful; yet is it dehumanizing? Especially with the prevalence of eating disorders and the pressure from media to look a certain way, the gym's original beneficial intent could easily result in a negative effect on many of the "sitters". Yet, it is them who chose to sit down anyways.
However, if this method was taken on by government, they would be breaching their role and interfering with citizen privacy. Perhaps a less intrusive and harsh technique, one of encouragement, would better serve the governments intentions.

I think the idea of a weight reading bench as a gym add would be a good idea for the gym because any person that is embarrassed to sit on it would probably consider going to that gym to get in shape and feel better about themselves. Although i think all in all it is a bad idea. I think the only people who would actually sit on the bench would be people who are trying to show off how much they weigh and most likely already have a gym membership. Most likely a lot of people would be offended by this bench and would not ever want to go to the gym that embarrassed them. If it was used for a public health campaign it might work indirectly by making people who weren't happy with their weight stand up and there for getting more active then they might usually by sitting down. I would say most likely this would calm more harm than help

A good amount of overweight people don't really care that they are overweight so I'd imagine that this ad would not really increase gym membership. It may improve the amount of women who are going to their gym because women are more self-conscious about their weight. In this case shame would be an effective form of inducing females to use the gym more. As for men and the overweight, they will just continue on with their lives knowing how much weight they gained after that double cheeseburger.

I actually find the bench to be quite innovative, though I can see how it can be seen as harassment. From the perspective of the gym advertising itself, it is a rather genius marketing maneuver. The bench is a wakeup call for those who may not realize that they should probably be going to the gym. This is a good tactic for a private company trying to get new members, but I do not think that it would be good for the government to put them out to try and change the health of their country. Instead of seeing it as a marketing scheme from a gym, citizens would probably see the benches as the government shaming them publicly for no reason. This would reflect poorly on the government and instead of motivating citizens, it would only anger them.

I think this bench will cause people to not want to sit on it, rather than motivate them to go to the gym. I see the idea, and how it could be perceived as good, but I think obese people already know they are fat, and this is just another reminder, and won't really encourage them more than how they already feel. I also don't think they should have the weight displayed in such large font, they should at least make it smaller... so personal information is not out there in huge font for the world to see. I think people would take more offense to the scale, than join the gym.

I think this is a great advertisement for a gym. But I think it would not be a good idea for a public health campaign. This is because it can embarres people and make them feel about themselves. I think that this will lead to public anger and make people stop using public transportation.

I think this is such a cool and neat idea. It would make people think about how much they weighed and what they could do to approve and accept who they are. I do see some negative repercussions of the bench though. People could also be appalled at the weighing mechanism of the bench and avoid sitting on it altogether and the buses would lose their business and nothing gets done, especially when people like having their weight anonymous. But overall, I think the bench that tells you your weight is a pretty spiffy invention to advertise a gym.

The aim of this advertisement is to create a visual public presentation of an individual's lifestyle based on their weight. Some would say that this is a very clever tactic. It gives individuals the opportunity to assess their weight and if it is one that they are not happy with, they have the opportunity to sign up for a gym membership, specifically, for the gym that allowed them to come to the realization that they want to go to the gym. It is also something interactive, and interactive advertisements tend to have lasting effects on those who experience the ad.This is the ideal reaction that the gym hoped for when they implemented this advertisement. This story ,though, may not be interpreted this way by all who see/experience it. The alternative story that this ad tells about people is one that may violate one's privacy, may harass a participant, may force one to reject sitting on a bench because of a humiliating public display. This ad, though innovative and clever, has the potential to violate those who may be sensitive to their weight and personal health/fitness. This story that was intended to be an inspirational and motivational call rides the line very closely to a violation of privacy and undermining someones's emotion well being.

I think that the bench is an interesting way to advertise for the gym. Whether it will bring that gym in particular more business is another story. People may be more motivated to hit the gym but i don't think that person will want to attend that one if they embarrassed them in public. I also think that your attention is drawn away from the actual gym and people would only focus on the number that pops up.

The bench scale is a great idea and should be implicated all over the world. It should get people more motivated about exercising and taking care of their body. Without someone having to push them into getting on a scale, they would get on by their own willingness. I consider this to be a great add and I hope to see this in the United States someday.

Well, I would suppose that there are alreadt the magazines we have today telling us about what a "nice" and "healthy" body would look like. Then there are the health classes that everybody is required (I believe) to take in high school. I would believe that we are quite aware what it means to be healthy and reason to maintain a reasonable body weight. I do not quite believe that we need yet another thing to remind us what we are supposed to be like. But then again, many people a re delusional and do not believe there is an actual problem with their weight. This may be due to complete and intentional ignoring of the subject. So maybe they do need another reminder that is a tad more blunt, like having your unreasonable body weight displayed in a giant caption in front of you while you sit down on a bench. But overall, I do not think it will do anything. We are already informed about what is healthy, and I do not believe this will incentivize anybody.

This is not a good idea for a public health campaign. It would be an ineffective tool and a waste of resources. There are so many reasons why it would not work effectively. People who are heavy would avoid the bench all together. They already know that they are overweight, it is not like this would be their wake up call. Also, women (and even some men) young and old would never sit on that bench even it killed them. It puts so much emphasis on a number when numbers are so different for different body types. In a world where self image is such a huge focus a gym advertisement does not need to prey on people who might have enough confidence to sit on the bench and possibly be surprised at the number. If people are confident enough and feel healthy enough to publicly advertise their weight they should not be undermined by a number.

I can definitely see this bench as both positive or negative but I feel the positive has a stronger case. Imagine sitting down and seeing your weight. You would want your weight to be reasonable, wouldn't you? If I sat on the bench and saw myself overweight I would definitely feel the need to get into the gym and work to change that number. People can see the number if they are around and I do not want to be embarrassed. I would find it a challenge to put a proper number up. People can see it as an invasion of privacy but it is simply a tool to help people work to get the body and confidence they want and deserve.

I think that this experiment has both negative and positive repercussions. It's positive for it can motivate an individual to want to lose weight and be more physically appealing. It can give the gym that it is advertising a larger amount of profit for more people will want to go to get in shape. However, this can also be demoralizing for it is an invasion of privacy and people do not react rationally to a touchy subject such as weight. Where is the middle ground that can be found?

I think this bench will most certainly offend a great number of people, and make self-conscious those who are already conscious of their weight. I don't think it is very smart advertising on the gym's part, because while those offended may be inspired to take control of their weight situation, it is not likely that they will be as inspired to attend THAT gym. Others may decide to stand for the small amount of time they await the bus, and return to sitting anyway. Although it may be overall beneficial to make overweight people aware of their health issue, which would in fact be helping them and helping society in general, it is difficult to know whether it would be effective or even legal.

They are raising people's awareness levels as to how much they weigh, they are also leaning towards embarrassment of those who decide to sit rather than stand, and they seem to be hoping that this will encourage gym membership sales. It could also be a conversation starter. If my family were walking by this or were waiting at the bus stop we would all be curious to see how much each of us weighs, which would turn into embarrassment for the heaviest of us and possibly creating a new exercise plan to go to the gym together to encourage each other instead of going alone. It seems a bit blunt, but then again, we often complain that people don't get to the point fast enough.