Bupa Enlists Joe Wicks to Separate Health From Hype in a New Video Podcast
Bupa has partnered with fitness star Joe Wicks on a new original video podcast that puts popular wellness trends to the test, using branded entertainment to build trust rather than sell insurance directly.
A Health Insurer Makes Content, Not Ads
Bupa, working with content specialists Story Studio, has launched an original video-podcast series fronted by Joe Wicks that separates genuine health advice from social-media hype. Each episode sees Wicks road-test the wellness fads flooding people's feeds, from supplements to recovery gadgets, and pressure-test what actually works.
It is a deliberate move away from conventional insurance advertising. Rather than talk about policies, Bupa is buying a place in the wellness conversation with content people might actually choose to watch.
Why the Format Fits the Brand
Health is a category built on trust, and trust is hard to buy with a 30-second spot. A long-form, credible, entertaining series lets Bupa demonstrate expertise instead of asserting it, and borrows Joe Wicks's enormous reach and relatability to reach audiences who would scroll past a traditional ad.
Video podcasts are also having a moment: audiences increasingly watch rather than just listen, and the format travels natively across YouTube, social clips and audio platforms. One shoot yields a hero episode plus dozens of cut-downs, which is exactly the efficient content model brands now chase.
Marketing Minute's Take
The clever part is the job the content does. By tackling misinformation, Bupa positions itself as the sensible authority in a noisy space, which is precisely where a health brand wants to sit. Utility and entertainment, not persuasion, are doing the brand-building here.
For any brand in a low-interest or trust-dependent category, the model is worth copying: find the questions your audience is already asking, answer them with a credible partner, and let genuine usefulness carry the brand. The sale comes later, on the back of earned trust.
Quick FAQ
What is Bupa's video podcast with Joe Wicks about?
It's an original series in which Joe Wicks tests popular wellness trends and health fads, separating credible advice from social-media hype, produced with content studio Story Studio.
Why is Bupa using branded entertainment?
Health is a trust-led category. A credible, entertaining series lets Bupa demonstrate expertise and reach audiences who would ignore traditional insurance advertising, building trust before any sell.
What can other brands learn from it?
In low-interest or trust-dependent categories, answer the questions your audience is already asking with a credible partner. Usefulness and entertainment build the brand; the sale follows earned trust.
Bupa isn't selling insurance here — it's selling trust, and doing it by being useful rather than loud. In a wellness world drowning in misinformation, the brand that calmly separates fact from fad becomes the one people believe. That's branded entertainment doing a job an ad never could. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
In trust-led categories, usefulness beats persuasion — answer your audience's real questions and let earned credibility carry the brand.
What questions is your audience already Googling that your brand could credibly answer better than anyone?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Broadcast, Roastbrief, PodcastingToday, Bupa (September 2026).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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