• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

 
There are some beats no one can ignore.

As “get back to the gym” season ramps up, Zumba is rolling out its annual global campaign, “Your Song Is On. The World Can Wait.” It’s built around the irresistible pull of Latin music. The ads show women dropping whatever they’re doing — from half-finished beauty routines to grocery runs — to lose themselves in a Zumba class when Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” comes on.

The campaign, created in-house, is running globally on TV and digital channels, supported by social challenges, instructor-led class moments and events. Carolina Moraes, Zumba’s CMO, tells Marketing Daily about what the brand learned from last year’s campaign, why music became the emotional anchor, and how Zumba continues to reign as fitness’ funniest brand.

Marketing Daily: Let’s start with what you learned from last year’s campaign, which memorably spoofed people’s fear of farting in a dance class.  What did you learn that directly shaped this year’s creative?

Carolina Moraes: That was a very successful campaign last year and exceeded our expectations. It also taught us a lot, and we did a lot of research to follow it up. What stood out was how relatable the spot was and how authentic it felt to women, obviously our core audience, and the fact that they saw themselves as having fun in an industry that can be very judgmental. That was the key insight: Be approachable and relatable. So we asked, how can we amplify that a bit more?

Marketing Daily: That led you to focus on music, even more directly than you have in the past. What happens when the right song comes on?

Moraes: When speaking to consumers, there is this thing about the music, about the favorite track, and how hearing it is so important. In the context of the Zumba class, it’s the moment when your favorite song comes on that you really push yourself harder, that you really let yourself go. And that feeling doesn’t just carry in the class. It carries outside, when you’re at the supermarket, when you’re stuck in traffic, and your favorite song comes on. It’s a memory, it’s a smile, and it makes you want to move.

That’s when we said, when your favorite song comes on, you wish the world could wait — so why not make the world wait and take that moment for yourself?

Marketing Daily: Why “Gasolina” as the anchor track?

Moraes: Zumba is going to turn 25 years old in 2026, and when we were debating the track, we asked what have been some of the most powerful and memorable songs in Zumba classes. “Gasolina” is still on the playlist of almost every Zumba instructor.

What really made us choose the song is that next year it also turns 20 years old, and ironically, it’s also been trending big time on TikTok. We kept getting those signs, like, “Yep, this is the song.” And we had great feedback on the nostalgia. It’s a Latin song, but it’s universally known.

Marketing Daily: Zumba has permission to be funny in a way many fitness brands don’t. Why?

Moraes: We’re not pretentious, we’re not serious. We’re not your results-driven brand, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just a very different brand position. We’re funny, we’re relatable, we’re your friends. Zumba is fun, and people laugh all the time in our classes. So they expect us to be funny.

Marketing Daily: How do you position Zumba alongside more performance-driven fitness brands?

Moraes: Zumba very often is a complement. People will do Zumba and then Pilates, or yoga, or lift weights. They’ll take Zumba classes two to three times a week. And when they come to their Zumba class, they know they getting their cardio check, but it’s also their happy hour. Their kid is not looking for them. Their husband is not looking for them. Their boss has left them alone. They may not go to the club anymore, but at Zumba, they can walk in, drop their bag, and for 50 or 60 minutes, they’re going to have a good time.

As much as cardio remains important, the Zumba class becomes more than that. What keeps people is the community and the relationship they build with the instructor. We are not your hardcore fitness class. We’re about letting go, taking care of your cardio, and taking care of your mental health and happiness.