Strategically partnering with other businesses or brands can help boost your club’s reach and awareness, while ultimately benefiting both parties involved.
Tom Hatten, the CEO of Mountainside Fitness, understands the importance of partnerships for a company’s growth. Recently, he announced the fitness brand’s newest partners: The Arizona Cardinals and the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders.
According to Hatten, Mountainside Fitness will now have a noticeable presence at the University of Phoenix Stadium. In addition, the fitness chain will host ticket promotions for members and will sell co-branded Cardinals merchandise within its retail spaces.
“We are huge Arizona Cardinals fans here at Mountainside Fitness,” said Hatten, concerning the partnership. “On game day you’ll be hard pressed to find a TV without the game on. We love our Cardinals and that is why we are proud to support the team as an official partner.”
According to Hatten, the key to partnerships is ensuring that members benefit from the arrangement. “When we announce deals, we do it for our members,” said Hatten.
In addition to the Arizona Cardinals, Mountainside Fitness has also partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Cox Communications and Sonora Quest Laboratories — and plans to work with The Special Olympics in the near future.
In particular, Hatten explained the partnership with Cox Communications has been extremely fruitful for members.
“They’re one of the biggest cable providers in the country, and when they approached us for a partnership, part of it was upgrading all of our systems so we could provide WiFi and high-speed internet for members in the club,” said Hatten. “Our members have special rates with Cox, and that’s what we want our partnerships to be for our members — a convenience. A unique thing for our members is that you wouldn’t get these benefits if you joined one of our competitors. Now, there’s even a hotline for them to call with their special rate and packages.”
A Center-Stage Partnership
Recently, Snap Fitness announced a partnership with country music star Tim McGraw. The CEO of Snap Fitness, Peter Taunton, said it all started when Tim McGraw’s team wanted to talk to Snap Fitness about creating a concept that speaks to one of the things near and dear to McGraw’s heart: fitness.
“Tim McGraw is one of the most recognized country music artists on the planet today, and if you know him, the guy is in incredible shape and he’s a very generous guy,” said Taunton.
Snap Fitness and Tim McGraw have partnered to create a line of gyms called TRU MAV Signature clubs.
This stresses the importance of gym operators looking to partner with organizations or people outside the fitness industry, as you never know where or when a partnership could make sense.
“I think the more diversity you can bring to the membership base, whether it’s a TRU MAV member or a Snap Fitness member, the more benefits you can bring to the member, and the higher your retention becomes,” said Taunton. “Diversity is something members look for.”
