Garmin turns invisible maternal burnout into an art and data story

Garmin is reframing the idea of endurance, not through marathons or elite athletes, but through the everyday realities of motherhood.

The wearable technology brand has launched its “Women of endurance” campaign, spotlighting the often invisible physical and mental fatigue women experience while juggling caregiving, work and daily responsibilities.

At the centre of the campaign is a creative tension marketers are increasingly leaning into: translating emotional or unseen labour into something visible, measurable and relatable.

Through a series of illustrated visuals created in collaboration with Taiwanese artist Chouyi, Garmin draws parallels between everyday motherhood and athletic performance. One visual likens carrying a child and groceries upstairs to a HIIT workout, while another compares chasing toddlers around the house to completing a 10km obstacle course.

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The campaign, rolled out in the Malaysian, Singaporean and Thailand markets, positions these everyday moments as a form of “invisible training”, turning domestic labour and emotional resilience into the equivalent of endurance sport.

Alongside the illustrations, Garmin is also leaning on wearable data to ground the campaign in measurable insights. Metrics pulled from Garmin devices, including heart rate variability (HRV), stress tracking, sleep quality and the brand’s “Body battery” energy scoring system, are used to help women better understand fatigue and recovery patterns.

According to Garmin, the campaign was developed in response to the growing recognition that women’s exhaustion is frequently normalised or underestimated, despite research showing women report fatigue more often than men.

Rather than focusing solely on performance optimisation, the brand is positioning wearable technology as a wellness companion that can help users visualise strain before burnout escalates.

The campaign also extends into experiential territory. On 24 May, Garmin Malaysia will host “Women of Endurance – Here’s to Her” at PARC, Subang, featuring a community wellness activation blending movement, creativity and education.

The event will include beginner-friendly walk and run sessions, kid-friendly mat pilates classes for mothers and children, as well as a guided painting workshop.

The campaign reflects a broader shift in wellness and tech marketing, where brands are increasingly moving beyond product specifications to tap into emotional storytelling, identity and lived experience. In Garmin’s case, wearable data becomes less about performance metrics and more about validating the unseen effort many women navigate daily.

This May, brands in Southeast Asia have also been rethinking their approach to marketing Mother's Day. CARiNG Pharmacy is doubling down on women’s wellness with a new long-term campaign aimed at shifting behaviour from reactive care to proactive health management.

Launched together with Georgetown Pharmacy and Wellings Pharmacy under BIG CARING Group, the “Empowering women, inspiring wellness” campaign takes a holistic approach to women’s health, connecting inner wellness, outer wellbeing and mental health into a more integrated, everyday practice.

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