• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 20, 2024

Planet Fitness, which has long relied on the laughs generated by its “Judgment Free Zone” positioning, is lunging and squatting toward some new brand thinking. With a new emphasis on strength training, the Dover, New Hampshire-based company hopes to attract new members by probing the “why” behind people’s workouts and what it means to feel strong. Jamie Medeiros, chief brand officer of the 2,600-unit gym chain, tells Marketing Daily what’s behind the shift.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Daily: January is always a massive month for gyms, and you typically launch new ads to court those New Year’s resolutions. But this new campaign is a little bit different. What’s changing?

Jamie Medeiros: We've spent a lot of time over the past year redefining our brand strategy. Being a judgment-free zone is still a core tenet. As we think about the support of our members and driving community in our clubs, we want to focus on Planet Fitness as a place where you can choose your own adventure. You can come in with your headphones on and a little head nod to the front desk, or you can create a relationship with the trainer and see them every single day. That led to a new brand promise: Grow stronger together.

Marketing Daily: Does the new promise reflect a shift in your audience and what they want or expect in a gym membership? I’ve heard marketing execs talking more about “fitness omnivores” -- is this meant to highlight the variety people can find at Planet Fitness?

Medeiros: We are seeing a shift in how people work out. They are more focused on strength training or functional training than ever before. And so not only are you seeing that in this campaign, but we are also addressing that in our clubs. There’s more strength equipment moving into our floor plans, and we have new pieces coming in. Younger audiences are especially trending more this way. They have access to all of this fitness education. We’re addressing that throughout the organization and want to communicate that we are for all fitness levels.

Marketing Daily: These ads are slightly more sincere and emotional than previous campaigns.

Medeiros: Yes. As the work came together, it became important to acknowledge that strong is an individual definition. Strong can mean whatever you want it to. It’s very personal for people, and the work leans into that in a more emotional and aspirational way than anything we have done in the past. We’re proud of how this honors who we are as a brand and as a company. But the campaign evolves us into a different perspective, and we're loving it.

Marketing Daily: Planet Fitness ads have typically been funny, in a very wisecrack-y way, making fun of people who take working out a little too seriously. These spots don’t do that. Was that a big decision?

Medeiros: Yes, a big decision. And we aren't walking away from humor. But yes, this has been a big, big conversation. We want to be witty. We don't want to take ourselves too seriously. But we want people to know that you can get a great workout at Planet Fitness and get strong here.

And that was the pivot for us. We want to be a serious brand. We always want to be a welcoming, judgment-free environment. And you’ll see throughout the work that we have these moments of levity and these moments of interruption, showing the support our members give each other.

Marketing Daily: Anything different about the media plan this year?

Medeiros: This campaign is from Special U.S., which is a new relationship for us. We started on a project basis, and we love the work that we've done together and are working in collaboration with all our existing agencies. In terms of media, ads begin on Christmas Day, and we’re especially focusing on younger audiences. We’re very heavy around New Year’s Eve -- our 10^th year sponsoring Times Square New Year's Eve -- and you’ll see prime placement for us in sports programming and social media.

Marketing Daily: Who do you consider your main competition? In an era of so much great fitness content for free on YouTube, are you wooing people away from internet workouts? Other gyms? Virtual communities, like Strava? The Y? The couch?

Medeiros: We’re the leader in the category and have nearly 20 million members. And we do see the opportunity to eat into people's free time.