Through its powerful national advertising campaign, Planet Fitness has raised its level of customer engagement and the results reflect that commitment.
“Our franchisee spent between 5% to 7% of their monthly membership dues on local marketing programs to drive increased traffic to their stores,” Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau said during Tuesday’s first-quarter earnings call, according to Seeking Alpha. “This further increases our brand awareness and reinforces our leadership position. No competitor can come close to matching this level of investment in this brand or business. We’re also getting smarter about how we digitally connect with consumers who can drive online joins. For example, we kicked off of our first national email campaign targeting high priority prospects such as individuals who started the online join process who didn't complete it and then we entice them to join. This probably would have been extremely successful thus far that we look forward to continuing to expand our efforts in this area. As a result of our combined efforts of our company, in Q1 2016 we added more than 1 million net new members to surpass 8.3 million member system wide at March 31, 2016, an increase of 17% compared with the same date a year ago.”
Rondeau said the company has worked hard to ensure Planet Fitness is best positioned to capitalize on its brand dominance throughout the U.S. and its entry last year into the Canadian market.
“We know that we have the best value proposition for the growing number of casuals and first-time gym users who are choosing to get more active and improve their health and wellness,” he explained. “Our strategy is straightforward, yet difficult to replicate. We’ve meaningfully increased our awareness, our affordable, non-intimidating fitness offering through our powerful national advertising fund, a significant competitive advantage from our brand.”
For the first time ever, Planet Fitness ranked No. 1 in unaided awareness in the gym category.
When asked questions such as when you think of gym and other workouts facilities, which brands come to mind, a number of consumers polled who said Planet Fitness increased 29% compared to one year ago. The percentage of people who said they are likely to try or join Planet Fitness rose significantly, an increase of 25% from 2015.
“Our offering continues to resonate incredibly well with individuals who aspire to take the first steps to becoming healthier,” Rondeau said. “If you haven’t already done so, I encourage everyone to visit Planet of Triumphs, a social platform on our website that enables members to motivate and encourage each other. These real unsolicited stories show the positive impact that Planet Fitness has on so many members’ lives.”