Challenge
In 2015, Gold’s Gym turned 50. And like most 50 year olds, they encountered a crossroads in their life. Despite high brand awareness and hundreds of gyms around the globe, fitness boutiques like Soul Cycle and Orange Theory were popping up everywhere and stealing their share. What’s worse, they were capturing a younger target, particularly millennial women.
Discovery
For years, Gold’s Gym spoke through the voice of the Hero archetype. But that wasn’t connecting with millennials, especially women. So we asked: What if Gold’s could become more inclusive, without sacrificing who they were? By modifying the brand’s voice and introducing new, more youthful fitness programs, Gold’s could drive new memberships. And they did.
Activation
By leading them through our Archetype process, Gold’s discovered that they were no longer the Hero archetype, but the Sage. Disciplined and goal-oriented, the Sage focuses on proven methods and noticeable results, two things Gold’s Gym had half a century of experience with.
With this new insight and an entirely new platform, we rebuilt the creative from the ground up. An inspiring manifesto established the new voice. A change in photography from dark to light conveyed the new, more accessible tone. And in-gym graphics drove awareness of new younger-centric fitness programs like Gold’s Cycle, Gold’s Fit, and Gold’s Amp.
Impact
Awareness of new programs, as tracked by Medallia survey scores, increased; lead generation was up by more than 50% in the critical month of January; and downloads of the Gold’s Amp digital personal training app beat all projections for the first half of 2018. The work we created together was even recognized by Contagious Magazine as one of the World’s Best Creative/Pioneering Campaigns.