GoodLife Fitness is launching its first-ever digital-only campaign to motivate people to hit the gym more often.
“The Struggle is Real. #makeithappen” campaign, which the fitness chain says is 10 times the size of its previous digital work, shares stories of actual customers and staff across Canada who overcame barriers such as health issues, confidence and time challenges to achieve their fitness goals.
The campaign includes a series of videos that will be rolled out this fall across social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. GoodLife also plans to use the live video-streaming app Periscope as a way to show Canadians life at its clubs before they buy a membership.
“We’ve always been fairly active in the digital space, but not to this extreme,” John Muszak, GoodLife’s vice-president marketing and public relations, told Marketing.
“With broadcast it’s a one-way communication; whereas with digital, people can engage in conversations, there’s that relatability factor. Everyone can share and exchange ideas on what they’re facing and experiencing. It just makes so much sense to try to deal with the obstacles of motivation through digital because of the conversations that can take place.”
The campaign features 19 videos hosted on the GoodLife YouTube channel. They include: A main campaign video, which includes real tweets from Canadians about going to the gym; four mini-documentaries profiling personal fitness stories of GoodLife members and employees from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax; and 14 GoodLife member and employee story videos.
GoodLife is also calling on Canadians to “share their own stories and words of encouragement” on social media by using #makeithappen.
The campaign’s video production was done by Notch Video, while Arcane handled the digital and social media execution and North Strategic was behind the social media strategy and public relations.
GoodLife also released an Ipsos Reid survey alongside the new campaign. It outlines the most common barriers of going to the gym, which include financial considerations (30%), lack of time (27%), fatigue (20%) and other commitments, such as work, family and volunteering (20%).
When asked what would motivate them to go more often, 25% of survey respondents said a personal goal or life choice. Survey results also showed the best motivators to get Canadians to the gym include a reliable training partner or friend to go with (20%), a health scare or doctor’s recommendation (18%) and convenient location of the gym (18%).
GoodLife is the largest fitness club chain in Canada and the fourth largest in the world with more than 350 clubs from coast-to-coast. The chain has more than doubled through acquisitions over the past decade and today includes its namesake brand as well as Énergie Cardio, Fit4Less by GoodLife and ÉconoFitness Clubs.
Last year, GoodLife’s “Live Your Good Life” campaign included digital radio and TV ads that promoted the “real heroes that exist in all of us.” The intent was to highlight their fitness clubs as a place for everyday people to work out and not feel intimidated.
