Artificial intelligence may be changing life fast, but one thing remains predictable: Equinox opening the year with a controversial, if buzz-producing, advertising splash
The first week of January is undoubtedly one of the most competitive moments in fitness marketing — and one Equinox has long used to provoke conversation.
This year, as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded into fitness and wellness, Equinox’s 2026 campaign puts AI on blast, urging consumers to “question everything but yourself.”
Ahead of its official campaign rollout this week, the luxury lifestyle and fitness brand shared a series of AI-generated teaser posts across its social media channels, including imagery such as gold chain–wearing babies water skiing and models strutting down a runway in silly inflatable costumes.
It’s a marketing approach Equinox has mastered, infamously taking a bold stance in 2023, when it briefly turned away prospective members on Jan. 1 in a bid to push back on short-term fitness resolutions.
The latest campaign, however, culminates in a manifesto-style message posted to Equinox’s social platforms, warning that truth is increasingly difficult to pin down in an AI-driven world.
In the post, Equinox wrote:
“IT’S 2026.
TRUTH IS A MOVING TARGET.
FACES ARE FILTERS.
POLITICIANS ARE DEEPFAKES.
YOUR FEED OVERFLOWS WITH AI SLOP.
BUT IN A WORLD WHERE ALMOST
EVERYTHING CAN BE FAKED,
ONE THING STILL CAN’T BE.
YOU.
YOUR BODY.
YOUR STRENGTH.
YOUR ALIVENESS IS AN ACT OF
REBELLION IN AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD.
WHEN NOTHING YOU SEE CAN BE
TRUSTED, THERE IS ONLY ONE THING
LEFT TO DO.
QUESTION EVERYTHING.
BUT YOURSELF.”
Reaction to the campaign on social media was mixed, with several commenters questioning the execution and tone of Equinox’s message.
Still, Equinox succeeded in getting people talking. The campaign, led by agency Angry Gods, marks the first under Bindu Shah, who became Equinox’s chief marketing and digital officer last summer.
Shah told Adweek that the campaign reinforces Equinox’s commitment to authenticity, performance and the power of human potential.
“It reminds audiences that while the world may be increasingly artificial, strength, effort and self-belief are not,” Shah told the publication. “Equinox is where you can put that belief back into practice — a place to work on yourself, invest in yourself and discover what becomes possible when you stop chasing the artificial and commit fully to what’s real.”
A series of video hits (including a night-vision clip capturing Bigfoot dancing) appears on a sign-up page for prospective Equinox members. The same landing page warns that deception is “all around us,” while noting that “the body doesn’t lie.”
“Equinox delivers what technology could never: the feeling of being fully alive,” the page reads.
Even so, Equinox has continued to ramp up its focus on technology-driven wellness, spanning diagnostics, longevity and data-informed health initiatives.
While the campaign pokes fun at the often absurd image creations of AI, Equinox has increasingly embraced the technology inside its clubs, adding Aescape’s fully automated, AI-driven massage beds to select New York City locations.
And as one of the first to enter the “gym-as-a-clinic” movement, Equinox recently expanded its partnership with Function Health, offering Equinox members full access to the telehealth platform for $249 per month. Before that, only Equinox Circle members had access to Function through Equinox Optimize, its $3,000-per-month luxury longevity membership.
As it warns against AI fakery, Equinox is also taking sleep seriously, placing rest as a pillar of its longevity strategy within its hospitality division. The company has signed on sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker for several initiatives, including Equinox Hotels Sleep Lab, an immersive living experiment within its New York City hotel where guests explore the latest in sleep technology.
