I Disliked The Fitness First Logo Anyway

This week has been a massive week for one of Australia’s (indeed the world’s) largest chain of health clubs – new logo, colours, club launches and celebrities.

And if we are talking just the logo . . . 3 cheers!

My view is that the old one sucked big time!!!! It was blurk!  Don’t you agree,  anything would be better than this:

 

 

 

I do like the new one. It is fresh and modern. I am not sold on red but I assume they did their research to find that red was a key colour for consumers.  So I can live with it.

But a change in logo for a few clubs may not be the answer.  Reading blogs this week, I don’t see smooth sailing just yet.

I feel really sorry for the company, as I think they are now further in a rock and hard place.  They have just spent $20m in the past 12 months and will continue spending by doubling that this year with equipment, staff training and new products.  Adding to this cost is to rebrand every club, hugely expensive and according to Marketing Manager Anthony McDonough will take 3 years.

I’d guess the rebranding will be very structured and strategic. For example the first 5 clubs in Sydney are in the competitive areas of CBD: The Zone, Market St, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Bondi Junction Platinum. Very smart.

In the mean time though what message does a two-branded gym chain say to consumers?

Could you imagine Coles or Woolies or JB Hi Fi taking 3 years to change their branding?

I personally dislike a confused brand. And I am not sure I would have done it.

However, I am not sure whether having two different logos will impact consumers joining or members staying.  There are critical other factors that will impact this.

The real rebrand must come from the staff.

On Wednesday on Mumbrella, my questions around culture were answered:

“The actual true rebrand is what’s happening with our people and that will be completed within the next six months,” McDonough said.

“We say to our people you may still have a blue logo above the door but you have red running through the heart.”

As part of the rebrand, Fitness First is implementing a new training process, which will see every single person who works in the chain’s gyms trained on how to deal with customers.

McDonough said: “We’re talking to every one of our staff members and saying to them this is the new way of customer service for us for the future, the member comes first and if you can’t change the way we’re changing we don’t you working in our business”.

Big job! Expensive job! A necessary job to truly carry through a rebrand.

I think there are 4 very cool new products to this rebrand that many members and potential members will love:

1. ‘Pay As You Go’ membership system, removing a contract;
2. Pre-purchase a number of visits when it suits;
3. “Fitness Guarantee” which allows members who use their membership on average three times or more per week to cancel their membership – even within contract – at any time, without notice;
4. The return of the New You Awards.

Kudos again to Fitness First.  You are really trying to change your brand perception.

My only criticism of the launch this week is why Jane Fonda?

Don’t get me wrong at 76 she looks amazing as the ‘mother’ of fitness.

McDonough says, “We’ve bought her out because our new brand is about more than sweating it out in the gym it’s about how people go further in their life through fitness.”

Forget the extra cost to the exercise of rebranding; surely there was an Aussie who could have met the same criteria.  Perhaps even a member with an incredible story.  And the Aussie may have got the same if not more publicity?

So, it was a big week for anecdotal positive and negative blog comments on service, facilities and prices in ‘my’ Fitness First club.  To be expected really.

The challenge now for the company is to convert ‘words’ into actions.

And if they do, then potentially we’ll have more people exercising and that is a good thing for the country.