It's life Gym, but not as we know it.

Five things Health Clubs could do more of.

_

We’re all familiar with global health risks like obesity, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and poor dietary knowledge and practices. I believe that Health Club brands have a window of opportunity to be more to society, more to their customers and more to their owners. Here I’ve identified five themes as examples of how Health Club brands could be more.

1. Be more relevant to more of your customers

Segment your audiences and create sustainable customer communities, for example; post-pregnancy mums, recovering cardio patients, bodybuilders, triathlon/marathon competitors, busy executives etc. In doing this you become a connector brand where communities congregate and share, thus building loyalty. Add social media to really understand and develop customer needs.

2. Take centre stage and be the linchpin for health and well being

Think of it as Corporate Responsibility and Business strategy in one by placing your company at the crossroads where policy makers (ie. governments), medicine, technology and academia meet and build well-being from a common set of beliefs and collaborations. Your products will be better, you’re brand will be stronger and society as whole will benefit if all these groups pull in the same direction.

3. Utilise technology

Think Kinect, Nike+, augmented reality, smartphones and gaming. These are todays technologies which have the power when used as part of a strategy to build your brand, develop a broader customer base and increase revenue if invested in now. Tomorrow’s technologies are even more exciting with the power to engage multiple generational consumer groups.

4. Help people with their bodies AND minds

The opportunity to build the holistic well-being brand by catering to the whole of society’s fitness needs means that brand expansion, based on trust, is entirely possible and within a health club brands reach. Again, smart alliances could be hugely impactful in building this quickly.

5. Be the 19th hole for the 21st Century

Society has changed and golf isn’t keeping pace. Fitness, however, has earned it’s place in current generational lifestyles of all ages. What the Gym could be to these groups is a place where people come together, work-out, relax, share and even do business. Mobile working will increase in coming years and who says you have to do it from home?

And, if you wanted a 6th - harnessing energy generated by gym equipment could save thousands in the longer term and make you energy independent. At least one californian gym is already doing this in isolation.

Comms: A bit of GIF thinking.

We know it as a short, repetitive, visual message that just cycles and cycles. The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) has just had it’s 25th birthday but it struck me recently that it still has much to offer if you just look at those qualities again...

Short - In large organisations communications are often overwhelming, constant chatter feeds of information all demanding to be heard - some relevant, some not so. It’s a cocophony of dischord, a screeching, a baying crowd of communicators all trying to tell you something. Short, punchy and relevant is good.

Repetitive - Those white-coated scientists have already proven that no matter how smart you are, as a human being you will still need at least six opportunities to see a message to properly absorb it. Many Internal Communicators send it once, assuming ‘you’re bright, you’ll get it’ but that’s not really going to do it. Think about those corporate values, latest products, innovations, one-off events or just plain,old risk notice reminders that never quite stuck.

Visual - paint a picture, tell a story with words or just be functional. Pictures still get attention so think about the channels you have to use a visual medium. An uber long corporate video doesn't always have to be answer - in fact, it frequently isn't.

As a communicator you still have to prioritise, segment, target and measure. I didn’t say it answered the whole challenge. But as a format it has already lasted over two decades, as a tactic it's worth a thought.

So, small in size, visual, flexible, repetitive, entertaining even and easily shared. Brands like Calvin Klein and Coca-Cola have embraced GIFs as a means to reach potentially untapped audiences on platforms such as Tumblr. GIFs are part of the cultural zeitgeist of 2012. What could using GIFs do for your communications?

This is not a restaurant review.

Damien Hirst artwork at Tramshed.

I recently dined at Mark Hix’s Tramshed on Rivington Street, Shoreditch.

What Hix has created in brand terms is a restaurant experience with absolute binary focus - great steak or great chicken. With it’s pared down food and drinks offering; trendy - but not achingly trendy staff and spacious, industrious environment, Tramshed is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
We’ve yet to mention the sparse but pertinent artwork of Damien Hirst, the historic atmosphere of the building or the simple, articulate food menus and pricing.

Cumulatively the ethos of ‘do fewer things but do them spectacularly’ really shines in this example. The rarest of brands - simple, effective and holistic. If only more were to take this approach.

Food for thought:
Is your customer experience as innovative and distinctive? Think what the simplest version of what you do might look like. Are you offering too much choice? How could your product be better? How might your staff behave differently? How would your pricing change? What would decorate your walls? How would your communication change?