Joining a gym can be intimidating, and excuses often stand in the way of stepping through the doors. Chuze Fitness is tackling this head-on with its latest campaign, “All Excuses Welcome,” a lighthearted and inclusive approach designed to make fitness feel more accessible to everyone. In a conversation with Cheryl Barnett, the chief revenue and marketing officer at Chuze Fitness, we explored the inspiration behind the campaign, how it aligns with the brand’s mission of community and kindness, and the innovative ways it’s engaging both new and existing members.
What inspired Chuze Fitness to create the “All Excuses Welcome” campaign?
We know joining a gym and working out can be intimidating for many people. We battle everyday excuses that try to detract us from going to the gym, and since we like to keep things lighthearted and fun at shoes, we wanted to have fun with this. Our All Excuses Welcome campaign was created to help people let go of their guilt or pressure they may feel about getting to the gym. Regardless of whether you’re a newbie to the gym or a gym warrior, we all have the excuses, right? We welcome all excuses; whether they’re the standard items like it’s just a busy schedule or over the top items like “my horoscope told me not to go.” We just wanted to use that to have fun and infuse that fun environment we have in the gym.
How does this campaign align with Chuze Fitness’ brand values and mission?
Our brand was built based on southern hospitality. We want to make fitness accessible and welcoming for everyone. Our mission statement is “to build healthier communities through human connection and kindness.” We can build human connection through being our authentic selves, which includes excuses, right? We use our actual Chuze employees in our campaign, and it reflects the fun we have in the gym. Working out doesn’t have to be boring.
Who is the target audience for this campaign?
The typical Chuze member is between 18 and 34 or the new gym goer, but this really is a campaign for everyone. Whether you’re someone who feels these excuses or you’re the person who knows someone that feels these excuses, it’s about laughing and having fun and taking that stress off going to the gym.
What marketing channels is Chuze using to promote the campaign?
We’re really infusing it into everything. We have a little bit on the website, we have it in our paid media, we have it in our social media, we have it in our CRM emails, but we also have it within activation in the club. We’re launching different stickers every single month that members can grab whichever one resonates with them. They can add it to the water bottle, bring it into the gym and see other people like minded as them. That allows them to build connections and kind of laugh together as well.
Are there any measurable goals for the campaign?
I think there’s really two things that we’re looking at. One is reaching a broader audience for new members. We know strength is the new trend that’s out there right now, and I think that can be even more intimidating for people. We want this campaign to reach more of those members that may say, “I need a place that I can feel authentic and comfortable being at.” The campaign will allow us to increase new members coming into gym and experiencing Chuze.
But then the second part of that is engaging our existing members. We’re trying to get our members to stay very connected with Chuze in the southern hospitality we provide and the fun environment we have. Within our clubs, we have fun, you know, kitschy sayings, puns on the wall. It’s just a fun vibe. So, adding this element and having stickers and stuff in the club just allows our members to stay connected and show how they have different excuses and other things they can share with us.
Can they share early results or insights on how people are responding?
We had a really good January, so that was really helpful to start the year off great, but I think also we’re seeing good response in the club to the campaign. We’re getting responses because we used existing employees, so a lot of the members recognize them and making comments. We’re also seeing responses in social so we’ve asked members to give us some of their fun excuses, and some of those will take and we’ll integrate into our campaign.
What are your predictions for the five years of marketing in the fitness world?
I think it’s about being authentic. I think what we want to do is show what our differentiation is. When I think of Chuze, it’s like Dutch Bros when you think about the connection that they have, and so that’s what we really lean into. I think when you look at how the gym industry used to be, it used to be on the agency side. You could take all the ads and just replace the logo, and they all looked similar. I think right now, everyone’s trying to lean into who they are and trying to be a little bit unique and different, like EoS with Will Power and the fun stuff that they’re doing. I know YouFit is doing “my crazy ex gym.” So, I think we’re just trying to find ways that really speak to who we are as a company and not try to be just like everyone else. When it comes down to it, we all provide a fitness experience, but it’s really about how you feel when you walk in. That’s where I think most of the brands are trying to go toward.
