A PUBLICITY stunt to promote a new gym has received a mixed response on social media.

One Gym in Newport will be opening its doors on July 23, and to make gym users aware of the new venture the gym’s logo and opening date was sprayed with a chalk based paint outside some well-established gyms, and on the pedestrian bridge in the city centre.

Owner Alex Bodin said: “It was a light-hearted message, some people thought it was actual paint, but it was chalk. We are here to stand out.

“What we are doing with the gym is different to anywhere else and our marketing will be different, we want to be noticed.”

However some didn’t see the fun side of the promotion. One of the gyms that was targeted was Bannatyne Health Club.

Manager Nadine Axon said: “There was one painted on Wednesday and then we cleaned it off and another one appeared on same day.

“It is annoying because we have to clean them off. A couple of our customers did noticed it but not many have said much.

“We are thoroughly checking to see if any more come back.”

One customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I saw what they had done on the wall and then saw what they had put on Facebook. I personally think it’s a disgraceful way to advertise their gym.”

Mr Bodin says that they will not be doing more of the slogans and will look at other forms of advertising.

He added: “We have had messages from some gym owners that saw the funny side.

“It has got people talking about us and it was a light-hearted message. We are an independent business and we want to be a big presence in the city. We looked at traditional forms of advertising, but people are tuned out to it.

“The people who are commenting and talking about us might not have known about the gym before. Our Google rankings went up six pages in a night, so it worked.”

The gym, which is located in Langland Park West, is currently in the final days of preparation before a launch event is held on Friday.

Claiming to be the largest in the country, the 30,000 sq ft gym has already been confirmed as the official partner of Newport County AFC.