5 Key Fundamentss To Launching A Fitness Brand That Sticks

5 KEY
FUNDAMENTALS
TO LAUNCHING A
FITNESS BRAND
THAT STICKS
DANIEL MASON & MARC ASTBURY

A book? Don't you sell clothes...
Some have risen to great heights, worldwide acclaim; others failed to
make a mark, whilst appearing to have done nothing ostensibly wrong.
Having observed a great number of brands over the past three years,
what nuances or radical values differentiate these brands? This book
aims to introduce five key concepts which we have found to be
commonplace in the growth of successful brands. The ideas are
designed to be flexible. We encourage you to think about your brand
in a new, non-traditional way.
Branding has developed dramatically over the past decades and is

undoubtedly a complex phenomenon. It is attached to the products
and services of one seller differentiating them from other sellers. It
can be seen as a subjective impersonification of those products or
services, nor merely by its utility but the meaning and emotive
properties that may be derived from a brand in everyday social life.
As of today, there is a more complex understanding of a brand

culminating in a co-created, socially constructed phenomenon.
Customers are now, more than ever, equal partners for a brand. This
is even more poignant in the world of digital transparency and the
power of social media. Something that has been leveraged incredibly
well by companies such as industry leader, GymShark and their army
of fans and social media influencers.
Consumerism is fluid, values and beliefs are ever-evolving. To

succeed, brands must help a consumer do something different, or be
something better. We are human after all.
Page 1
Fundamental One
Moving beyond 'icon' thinking.
A sensible starting place may be to define the topic we are discussing.
The Business Dictionary begins its definition with 'unique sign,
symbol, words or combination that differentiates a product.' Whilst
this definition is accurate; it focuses you, the creator, to place larger
than necessary importance on visually pleasing symbols and icons
and neglect the subconscious and often overlooked values that they
underpin.
Rather than the visual representation being born with inherent

meaning and power, it is the brand's actions, positioning, and
communication that lead us to associate buzzwords and emotive
responses upon seeing the logo or emblem in question. Nike has been
incredibly successful in transforming their trademark tick into a
synonym for the 'winner.'
Rather than dwelling on the visual icon (although undoubtedly

important) and using this as a crutch leading to inaction, spend some
time thinking deeper about what you would like it to represent. This,
in turn, will allow you to accurately articulate the design elements
you require in your logo and visual brand identity as a whole.
To summarise, the art of brand building comes from orchestrating a

3-way marriage between the visual (logo) the attitude (how the brand
acts) and the core purpose (the brand's view of the world). Customers
will be imparting their own interpretations on all of the above which
may or may not be congruent with your own intentions. How do you
want to make your customer’s feel when they connect with your
brand through whichever medium they choose. Consumer’s tastes
are fleeting, yet their values and beliefs more rigid and powerful. The
success and longevity of a brand are built on solid foundations.
Page 2
Fundamental Two
Developing dynamic relationships.
Defining 'brand' as a customer's perceived or actual experience
remains entrenched in the traditional value flow from producer to
consumer. It is useful to shift this thinking into a prolonged two-way
relationship where value flows back and forth, with regularity.
The direct integration of the customer into the core business model
refers to processes of opportunity co-creation. This is based on a
service-dominant logic that stands in stark contrast to a goods-
dominant logic that has historically been prevalent in how business
approached marketing in the past century, often ignoring the
potential that customers elicit, and instead integrating them into
becoming a central part of the value and opportunity creation
processes. Customers are today more interested in a mutually
beneficial service exchange intended to co-create value and either
member of an exchange could create the original idea for an
opportunity.
To use an industry-specific example, we can look at how GymShark

approach this relationship. It would be naive to suggest that the
market leader’s success has come due to being solely product
innovators. Whilst the quality, innovation and design of the
products is an important facet of the business, the experience and
what it means to purchase and wear an item of GymShark clothing
goes far beyond functionality and style. By coining the term, ‘family’
the company have been able to open up regular, free-flowing
dialogue between themselves and their customer base.
Furthermore, brand advocates release incredibly valuable content
to their customer base daily. What kind of relationship do you want
with your customer base? Conversely, what relationship do you
want them to have with you?
Page 3
Fundamental Three
Identify your true fans, go find them.
An interesting notion in the world of marketing stems from an
article by Kevin Kelly, aptly titled ‘1,000 True Fans’. This article
introduced a new way of thinking when discussing how to build a
customer base. We highly recommend reading the original article (a
quick google will lead you to it). The core concepts will be simplified
and discussed below.
Occasionally we will talk to a customer who will state ‘the market is

growing so quickly if I can just get 1% that would be amazing!’ We
encourage you to veer away from this mentality for many reasons.
Primarily, it leads to a confused message and strategy. Applying a
scattergun approach invariably leads to mediocre customers who
may be unlikely to hold any loyalty to you or your brand. The 1,000
true fans approach is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The core
concept of this approach is aiming for the few, not the many.
Seeking that group of people who are real advocates for your brand
or product, so much so that they will not only consume anything and
everything you create but fiercely endorse it within their respective
social circles.
The number 1,000 is not important, in your case, it may be 350 or

3,234. Think broadly about the company you are building and hone
your offering and message to the die-hards. You are in a unique and
powerful position, being small in size is no longer a pain point; it can
be a huge advantage. Your smallness may present the opportunity
for deep relationships with your audience and resonate with their
core beliefs. Only you can do this, this has to be organic and not
contrived. It is not possible to cover for a lack of authenticity and
the art of being loved by your customers is not always scaleable.
Page 4
Fundamental Four
Create a category and own it.
Your brand is not first to market, damn! The dream is over. Not so
fast, there is a solution.
Nobody can be the first in a pre-existing category, the obvious but

often overlooked solution is to move forth and create a new one.
There are countless examples of this in action, to use a widely
known example think of Apple’s Mac. Rather than go toe to toe with
Microsoft they simply created a new category and subsequently
lead it. This, of course, was the category of computing software for
graphic designers.
The Blue Ocean Strategy, a famous strategy book (highly

recommended) discusses a similar concept, by adding or subtracting
product offerings attributes it is possible to carve a new niche
category with zero competition.
It is important to ponder this concept when launching your brand,

which category do you want your name to be synonymous with? Is
there currently a brand who own this area of the consumer's mind?
How can you re-define the category and further narrow your target
market focus?
Thinking in this highly focused way can help to mentally clarify your
intent when designing, branding and releasing your products to
market.
As a rule of thumb, when you think you have a narrow focus, go

narrower.
Page 5
Fundamental Five
Don't always rely on social media.
With the instant accessibility, and often incessant pull of social

media, temptation looms to leverage every available platform in a
scattered attempt to find your soon-to-be customers.
Going from zero to a large following on social media can be likened

to a marathon, as posting on social media can be sometimes likened
to talking aimlessly in the middle of the London underground. This
is not to deter you from using social media as a marketing channel,
just a call to think twice before making a large time commitment in
generating content. As a start-up, it is vitally important to pick your
battles wisely, time is your most valuable asset. In spite of this, we
are under no illusions that there is undoubtedly value in getting
your content ‘out there’, and adopting an iterative stance whereby
effectuation may take hold and you start to strike up a dialogue
with your audience to hit that sweet spot.
A number of brands have had great success by using 'offline'

approaches. The ability to command far more of a potential
customer's attention. By partnering with gyms, supplement stores
or retail outlets, these brands have been able to engage far quicker
with customers and generate sales whilst building their online
presence.
This fundamental circles back to the 1,000 true fans discussion

earlier; focus on growing a following that interacts and cares about
what you have to say. We encourage you to practice some deep
thinking around where you can have extended conversations. Social
media isn't always the best option.
Page 6
Thank you for reading
Wrapping it all up.
We hope this short guide has empowered you to think about your
brand in a new light. The aim of this book is to channel your vision and
creativity rather than impede it. The fundamentals explained above
have been gathered from our previous study and work with brands
who have achieved ever-increasing levels of success.
Key Fundamental Summary:
One: Move beyond 'icon' thinking.

Two: Developing dynamic relationships.
Three: Identify your true fans, go find them.
Four: Create a category and own it.
Five: Don't always rely on social media.
If you have any questions leading on from the points discussed above,
do not hesitate to email us at [email protected].
We are proud of the brands we work with, some have been fortunate
enough to have been featured in the following industry leading
publications:
Page 7

5 Key Fundamentss To Launching A Fitness Brand That Sticks

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 Key Fundamentss To Launching A Fitness Brand That Sticks

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 Key Fundamentss To Launching A Fitness Brand That Sticks

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

5 KEY

DANIEL MASON & MARC ASTBURY

Branding has developed dramatically over the past decades and is

As of today, there is a more complex understanding of a brand

Consumerism is fluid, values and beliefs are ever-evolving. To

Rather than the visual representation being born with inherent

Rather than dwelling on the visual icon (although undoubtedly

To summarise, the art of brand building comes from orchestrating a

To use an industry-specific example, we can look at how GymShark

Occasionally we will talk to a customer who will state ‘the market is

The number 1,000 is not important, in your case, it may be 350 or

Nobody can be the first in a pre-existing category, the obvious but

The Blue Ocean Strategy, a famous strategy book (highly

It is important to ponder this concept when launching your brand,

As a rule of thumb, when you think you have a narrow focus, go

With the instant accessibility, and often incessant pull of social

Going from zero to a large following on social media can be likened

A number of brands have had great success by using 'offline'

This fundamental circles back to the 1,000 true fans discussion

Key Fundamental Summary:

One: Move beyond 'icon' thinking.

You might also like