5/1/13
You’d think that health- and wellness-oriented businesses must see a spike in sales at the beginning of each year due to New Year’s resolutions. After all, nearly half (45%) of Americans make resolutions, according to the University of Scranton, and heading their lists are self-improvement (47%) and weight loss (38%).
Thus, gyms should be overburdened with new members, weight-loss clinics bombarded with inquiries, and sales of healthy food products skyrocketing in January and February.
But no. Health and wellness sales in January and February look remarkably like those in December and November. It is in the months of March, April, and May that these numbers jump sharply, in what is known as the “spring bump,” or a delayed-and inevitable-reaction to New Year’s resolutions.
“January is the time when everybody is trying whatever the new thing is,” says Weight Watchers’ David Kirchhoff. “And so you might generally see increasing pickup of whatever fad or quick fix approach it might be.”
Simply put, people try to do it themselves in the first glow of making their resolutions, but by spring these people realize they need outside help to achieve their goals. As a result, Weight Watchers says spring is its busiest season. GNC, which sells nutritional supplements, says its sales are strongest in March and April. And national health club chains see membership increases in April and May.
Health and wellness companies are introducing women-targeted initiatives this spring to help encourage this traffic. Weight Watchers, which has ceased all male-marketing efforts this year, is pushing value and the combination of online and offline support. While it infamously paid $3 million to Jessica Simpson last year to serve as a brand ambassador, company executives say Simpson hasn’t been effective in driving new members. So the company’s spring advertising will focus less on celebrity and more on regular women who have found success using the program.
“When you look at what actually drives … successful outcomes, we see that things such as apps in online and Internet offerings really reach their full potential when combined with human face-to-face interaction,” says Kirchhoff. “So I believe more and more that face-to-face elements are going to be an even bigger part of who we are. I just think it’s going to take forms beyond the traditional group support.” Weight Watchers will continue to place ads in print magazines and on TV but has stopped online banner advertising. “And our reason for that is not because we’re worried about managing our marketing budget,” says Kirchhoff. “It was driven by a recognition that the CPA, the cost per acquisition, associated with many of the banner ads made it not economic for us to do; we were losing money on them.”
GNC is launching two women-specific campaigns to capitalize on the spring bump. “Me on GNC” is aimed at millennial and Gen X women and includes “every component of social media from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, [and] obviously utilization of our own site,” says GNC’s Joe Fortunato. It also features TV spots, a store refresh, billboards, and direct marketing initiatives. The campaign illustrates how using GNC products can help women achieve their goals. Rather than rely on star power, the campaign will feature everyday customers telling their own success stories.
GNC is also targeting the older boomer and senior women. “The more sophisticated, intense, lifestyle-driven baby boomers come in to buy multiple products; they want more sophisticated formulations. They’re still running races; they’re still working out on a regular regimen. They are the lifestyle consumers.” The company positions its Live Well products to this group.
Life Time Fitness is building its brand awareness among women this spring by sponsoring the Athleta Esprit de She Race Series, an 18-city event, kicking off May 5 in Tempe, Ariz., with additional races in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, and Houston. These events designed exclusively for women include fashion demonstrations, prerace training programs, and a post-race community market where women receive champagne and enjoy an open-air spa providing massages and facials. Life Time is also introducing three new programs aimed at weight loss-utopa, salara, and signia-all designed with a “holistic approach.” Each program provides a nutrition manual, journal, weekly weigh-ins, group sessions, and the Flourish e-newsletter.
CONTACTS AND CONNECTIONS: Life Time Fitness, David Campbell, VP Marketing, 6442 City West Pkwy., Eden Prairie, MN 55344; 952-947-0000; dcampbell@lifetimefitness.com; www.lifetimefitness.com.
GNC, Joe Fortunato, 300 Sixth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222; 412-288-4600; www.gnc.com.
Weight Watchers, David Kirchhoff, 11 Madison Ave., 17th Fl., New York, NY 10010; 212-589-2700; david.kirchhoff@weightwatchers.com; www.weightwatchers.com.
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