Brands
When no-show gym goers star in a fitness ad
MUMBAI: What if your unused gym membership finally did some heavy lifting? That’s exactly the cheeky idea behind SW Network and Anytime Fitness India’s new campaign, a clever take on the universal truth that many people pay for gyms they rarely visit.
The campaign’s heart lies in a playful ad film that swaps guilt for good humour. It shines a light on the relatable cycle of enthusiasm, excuses, and self-awareness, proving that everyone deserves a fresh start, no matter how many workouts they’ve skipped.
Once the film struck a chord, the message spilled onto billboards across major cities, each carrying a witty reminder of India’s most common fitness confession, the ghost gym-goer.
“We wanted to approach a very real human truth with warmth and wit,” said Sociowash co-founder Raghav Bagai. “This campaign is about saying we understand you, and we’re rooting for you.”
Echoing that sentiment, Anytime Fitness India CEO Vikas Jain added, “At Anytime Fitness, we’re more than a gym. We know life gets in the way, and we want to help people find their way back, with positivity, not pressure.”
The creative spark came from Sociowash creative director Vaibhav Mukim who said, “The truth itself was creative enough. We didn’t need to exaggerate it.”
With its mix of storytelling, humour and heart, the campaign fits right into Anytime Fitness’s be fit fest initiative, proving that fitness doesn’t have to be perfect, just personal.
Brands
Amazon inks $30m carbon credit deal with Indian rice farmers
Methane-cutting farming push links climate goals with farmer income
NEW DELHI: Amazon has signed a $30 million agreement to purchase carbon credits generated by Indian rice farmers, marking one of the largest agriculture-linked carbon deals in the country to date and signalling a shift in how corporates approach climate action.
The agreement is being executed through the Good Rice Alliance, a collaboration between Bayer, GenZero, and Shell Nature-Based Solutions, backed by Singapore’s Temasek. Rather than dealing directly with individual farmers, Amazon is tapping into this alliance to scale the programme efficiently.
At the heart of the initiative is a relatively simple shift in farming practice known as Alternate Wetting and Drying. Traditionally, rice paddies remain flooded, creating oxygen-free conditions that produce methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Under the new method, fields are periodically allowed to dry, disrupting methane formation while maintaining crop yields.
The benefits go beyond emissions. The approach significantly reduces water usage, a crucial advantage in regions already facing water stress. For farmers, it also opens up a new income stream. By adopting climate-friendly techniques, they earn carbon credits that can be sold to companies like Amazon, effectively turning sustainability into a revenue opportunity.
The current phase of the project covers more than 13,000 smallholder farmers across roughly 35,000 hectares. Amazon expects the initiative to offset about 685,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, offering a measurable contribution to its broader climate commitments.
The deal is notable not just for its scale but for its direction. While many companies have historically focused on forestry or renewable energy offsets, this move highlights growing interest in agriculture-based solutions that tackle methane emissions directly. It also reflects the increasing sophistication of carbon markets, where even small, decentralised farms can be integrated into global climate strategies.
For India, the implications are significant. As the world’s largest rice producer and one of the biggest methane emitters, scaling such models could play a meaningful role in meeting climate targets while supporting rural livelihoods.
For Amazon, the message is clear. Climate action is no longer just about reducing emissions within operations. It is also about reshaping supply chains and ecosystems. And in this case, the path to net zero runs straight through the paddy fields.
