Client overview
Founded in 1999, Fitness Connection is a category leader in the “High Value, Low Price” (HVLP) fitness segment, offering the full range of amenities and services of a large, full-service premium club for a low monthly fee. Memberships include access to state-of-the-art strength / cardio equipment, functional training areas, women’s only workout areas, short-term child care, cycling studios, as well as other amenities and services. With its best-in-class value proposition, Fitness Connection holds broad appeal for consumers looking for gyms with a full range of amenities at an affordable price.
Challenge
The fitness industry is highly competitive with an array of alternative considerations from home health to in-gym experiences. For those that go to clubs, there is an ongoing dynamic of amenities and offerings available balanced with the present membership fee model. Fitness Connection has a fantastic offering, but is also in a market with other, large, well-funded competitors with significant brand presence.
The prevailing challenge is attracting and securing the optimal number of members to fill the capacity of each and every Fitness Connection location most efficiently while accounting for an ever-expanding geographic footprint.
Insights
We know from our own proprietary research that 56% of consumers say health & wellness brands probably or definitely have a heightened responsibility to connect with their customers or community on a deeper level than other brands. As such, it is important for Fitness Connection to connect with the dynamics of each community in which it operates while not having to create unique marketing strategies for each and every individual location which would be overwhelming and inefficient.
Solution
To find the perfect balance between a scalable marketing model while accounting for local nuances, Parallel Path deployed a unique playbook-based approach. This playbook framework started with a foundational architecture that broke Fitness Center locations into categories with common characteristics to build an initial full-funnel go-to-market strategy.
From there, each location was examined for its unique characteristics to finalize the marketing approach by accounting for factors such as population density, geographic radiuses, competitive intensity, demographic makeup, household income and regional consumer motivations.
With this model in place, we tailored the media and creative strategies to meet the demands of each market in the playbook to maximize program effectiveness.
Services Provided
Market Research
Consumer Insights Collective Panel
Marketing strategy
Media Planning and Strategy
Content Creation
Paid Media
Search Engine Optimization
Data and Analytics
Results
Higher
membership growth than average market demand
Increase
in branded search query interest
Return
on ad spend from geo-focused campaigns
"Parallel Path has been an outstanding marketing partner for Fitness Connection. Their knowledge of today’s health and wellness consumer creates actionable insights and marketing strategies that have allowed us to grow membership across our geographic footprint. To top it off, their team is great to work with as well!"