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Chris Hemsworth is taking a holistic approach to wellness that challenges a space traditionally defined by comparison.
The Thor actor and Andrew Sugerman, CEO of Hemsworth’s fitness app Centr, sat down with Adweek’s Luz Corona at Brandweek to walk through their multifaceted approach to wellness, which marries nutrition, mental health and physical fitness into a streamlined platform with customizable offerings.
The Centr app features both coached and guided classes for all skills levels, as well as nutrition and relaxation resources that he hopes will relieve the intimidating aspects of getting fit. It’s based on Hemsworth’s three pillars of wellness—movement, nutrition and mindfulness—and, according Sugerman, offers entry points that “make sure wellness is not a privilege.”
Endurance through philanthropy
Hemsworth recalled the pivotal role athletics played in his childhood that inspired the birth of the brand and cemented youth access to sports as its social impact. As an incentive for consistency, Centr celebrates consumers hitting fitness milestones with donations to Good Sports, a nonprofit that promotes access to physical activity for young people.
“If I didn’t have athletics as a kid, I probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble,” Hemsworth said. “There’s a huge amount of self confidence and elation that comes from taking something you didn’t want to do, but getting up and doing it anyway.”
With his Hollywood starpower, Hemsworth could have entered the luxury fitness space by aligning with competitors like Peloton and Equinox. But the actor is instead interested in driving wellness as a universal imperative. Centr is instead about widespread access—the brand sells its fitness essentials kit in Costco and announced Walmart as a new retailer earlier this week.
“Centr is really for people who take health and wellness seriously, but are also curious and learners,” said Sugerman, adding that the brand is for people with busy schedules and flexible needs. “We try to curate the best elements [of wellness] so people don’t have to go out and look for them.”
Enjoyment over aesthetics
Hemsworth, who compared product execution and branding to “developing a script or a movie,” said collaborating with trainers and prioritizing diverse education styles was an internal manifestation of the brand’s purpose and pivotal in creating a product that encompassed more than just himself.