Will Mike finally get off the couch?

Samsung's new ad pushes fitness as a group activity. The ad for the app Samsung Health Together features a group of five friends, who take part in a group fitness challenge to hit 50,000 steps. Of all the friends, the most relatable is Mike, who spends most of his time lying down on the couch, watching as his friends make progress.

As the ad progresses, we see users use the Samsung Health Together app on their Galaxy smartphones and smartwatches. We see them walking around their office spaces, taking their dogs for a walk, etc., in an effort to get their steps in.

Samsung announced Group Challenge feature in the Samsung Health app in January 2021. The feature allows 10 people to participate in a friendly health competition to see who can move the farthest, or the fastest.

While sheltering at home, or holiday feasting may have gotten in the way of your fitness goals, getting back on track does not have to feel daunting. Galaxy users can simply create a challenge in the ‘Together’ section of the Samsung Health app to see who can take the most number of steps in a set amount of time; or who can be the first to reach a certain number of steps. Once a challenge is created, you can then invite up to nine friends to join, even if they are not existing Samsung Health users.

Since its launch in 2012 as a simple fitness tracker, Samsung Health has grown into a comprehensive health, wellness and fitness platform, with a wide variety of features, ranging from virtual exercises and mindfulness videos, to the ability to track sleep patterns, heart rate and blood pressure.