Have you ever had a trusted team member, one that has developed solid ideas and plans in the past, come to you with a plan that seemed a little scary to execute?
Yesterday, I did a little light reading on Sarah Robb O’Hagan, the new president of Equinox. Robb O’Hagan, a native of New Zealand, has been with such trusted American companies, such as Nike and Gatorade. Forbes has considered her one of the top 10 most powerful women in sports, and Advertising Ages considered her in their Women to Watch 2010, the same year she took her role at Gatorade, and FastCompany.com considered her one of “The 100 Most Creative People in Business.”
It was in the Fast Company article that I read about her first days at Gatorade. When PepsiCo made the hire, Robb O’Hagan accepted and immediately went on maternity leave. Evidently investors were worried about a change not occurring immediately. In PepsiCo’s situation, due to the previous year’s numbers concerning Gatorade, there was cause to worry. However, Robb O’Hagan doesn’t approach business like any other businessperson.
She spent the vast amount of her maternity leave thinking about the demographic that enjoyed Gatorade. She developed an idea that would leave the sedentary community in the dust. No longer would Gatorade focus on marketing to the world as a whole, but they would make an attempt to focus entirely on the athlete.
She told Fast Company that this was her “Jerry McGuire moment.” She said she approached her new boss stating that he could fire her, but this is what she believed they had to do. Luckily for her, her business sense is through the roof, and her belief paid off.
Gatorade quickly stopped marketing to the overall community, but focused strictly on the athlete. She even made a point that advertising for Gatorade during the Super Bowl was ridiculous. Her point was — why should Gatorade run an ad when their product is on both sidelines, being consumed by top athletes?
Following her lead, Gatorade started sponsoring athletic camps and advertising in front of athletes on websites such as Stack.com — a site where many athletes go to learn how professionals train. No longer is the company’s plan about feeding electrolytes to the general population, but now it is more about being the sports performance drink for the athlete.
This concept has completely revolutionized Gatorade and turned its numbers around. The question now is, can Robb O’Hagan do the same at Equinox? Not that Equinox needs the same transition as Gatorade did, but can she make the company the top fitness club on the planet?
The company has recently launched its first international club in Toronto, with more in the pipeline. Bringing on Robb O’Hagan surely will create a massive push that will change the landscape for how business operates within the fitness industry.
But, as I asked in the beginning, what is your response when a new, or existing employee, comes to you with an idea that seems outlandish? Are you going to stop marketing to the general population and focus on those that use you the most, or are you going to stick with your current plan and ignore a potentially great idea?
Tyler Montgomery is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com
