The Gym Group

The challenge

The Gym Group wanted to develop our previous brand-building work and deliver a direct response element. This required us to drive acquisition in a way that was scalable and flexible, so that all gyms could use the most relevant value and service benefit messages for their locale.

Provocative thought

Good direct response activity should build your brand as well as delivering new customers. What if we were to develop direct response creative rich in brand personality? What if we could deliver ‘brand response’ driven growth?

Solution

We demonstrated how motion creates emotion, by integrating ‘find your fit’ into a series of real-life, in-gym situations, with real people, in real classes. We realised this through emotional reportage-style delivery that used Adam Hinton’s (This Girl Can) photography, tied with copy reflecting the brand’s values and personality; connecting the campaign to customer acquisition, with a brand-building wrapper.

106,000

New members, Jan-Feb 2017

18.8%

Revenue growth

Campaign insight

The Gym Group has long championed an ‘for everybody and every kind of body’ approach to fitness. It’s open 24/7. There are no contracts to tie people down. Membership costs are kept low to make working out more affordable.There are over 170 pieces of the latest high spec kit in every gym as standard. It’s all here.

But how do we tell people about these benefits in a way that stands apart from other budget gym providers?

To do this, we needed to develop a creative framework to bring the benefits of The Gym to life in a way that chimed true with our audience. It also had to have the visual and tonal flexibility to span a fully integrated marketing media mix, from bus stop to paid digital.

So our job was twofold. To tell that story. And to drive acquisition by incorporating a direct response element to the campaign mix.

With our In Motion marketing campaign, we developed a visual identity, a tone of voice and a suite of materials for everything from new gym launches and refits to internal and social advertising.

And it got people moving

The campaign saw a meteoric rise of 106,000 members between January and February 2017. Which led to an 18.8% growth in revenue across gyms in the UK.

The marketing mix was tested across selected sites depending on competition, demographic and gym benefits. In Newcastle, the tactical messaging was supported by a brand awareness campaign to highlight that the gym was open during maintenance.

As a result of this ‘brand response’ approach, Newcastle delivered a cost per conversion that was 82% lower than the gym average.

Service: