Gold’s Gym has just introduced a new line of exercise equipment that is compact and can be used in the home. The primary market is middle-aged men and women who want to get more exercise but are so busy that they can’t make it to a health club. Given the subject matter, what ideas do you have for promoting the new line of equipment via an SMT?
Gina Luttrell 
To begin with I would create a VNR that could be used as an SMT or on the news. That way we can ensure that the message is reaching as many people as possible. Since middle-aged men and women may watch the news over discovering the SMT online. As strictly an SMT, I would recommend that the angle of the SMT be that the target audience can still have Gold’s Gym quality at home. This angle would encompass health related topics for middle-aged people as well as ease of use. Being careful not to come across as an advertisement the SMT would focus on the audience primarily and the exercise equipment secondarily. A Gold’s Gym spokesperson would be ideal as the expert and would be credible as well.
I also suggest creating an angle that would appeal to the age group. It seems as though effective advertising involves humor so creating an angle that encompasses humor as well as being informative may reach a larger audience. The SMT would have to be posted in several places. YouTube is an option for any video so that is a start, but then it could also be posted on the Gold’s Gym website, the website for the equipment, any social media site like Facebook and so on. Then to generalize the SMT for a larger audience I would suggest cutting out the humor and keeping it strictly informative for any VNR for news stations.
The focus of the SMT would be primarily health and secondarily ease of use, convenience, timeliness and so forth.
I like the idea of your SMT but I think that you could make your VNR apart of the SMT more. For example, you could have the VNR played and then whoever the expert in it speak with the host live about it. The main focus of an SMT is to promote the equipment with different interviews on television. It is smart to have a Gold Gym spokesperson speak about the equipment but they should be considered an expert on how the equipment works and health. Your focus about a healthy life style is good, but try to incorporate about how the equipment will allow middle age men and women get that lifestyle. I like the humor aspect of it that you want to add. It is good to make it entertaining to the viewers and not just a cut and dry interview.
I like the idea of making an SMT and VNR to reach as many people as possible. I love the angle you took with it being having Gold’s Gym quality at home. That would touch a lot of people because so many people do not have the time to go to the gym on a daily basis and having that piece of equipment at home to use at their convenience is important. They just have to have the will power to use it and not use it to dry clothes on. I think putting the SMT on as many sites as possible is also another good technique to use for reaching as many people as possible. Sticking with the angle of health throughout the SMT would help focus those not paying attention to listen up. If they hear weight loss or become healthier it would probably grad their attention because who doesn’t want to lose weight.
I also like the idea of trying to reach as many people as possible.It seems cliche, but there is a reason so many gym items are now available for your own home and I like that you ran with it. The easy part is selling it. The hard part is actually getting them to use is, as the response above suggests. The SMT is a good technique to use for reaching as many people as possible, but I like the VNR better.The question in my mind is do you take the angle of a healthy, happy lifestyle, or do you play off the weight loss trend sweeping through America?
My first thought was to host an event with Gold’s Gym and also feature Wellness businesses as well (like Vitamin World and GNC), but after giving it some thought… The people that don’t have time for the gym won’t have time for the event either.
So I might start by making a little press kit for fitness bloggers and writers. They would probably angle it to talk about the technical and efficiency of the equipment. That would cover the news readers aspect.
I would then do a VNR to cover the appeal and simplicity of the equipment. This would reach those who listen to the radio or watch TV news…It might even hit the internet. I think it is important to have a fitness expert involved. Like an athlete or a trainer. I know that Gold’s has a “campaign” that’s called Train Like a Celebrity, so possibly having one a them using the equipment to show the appeal [Dwayne Johnson ;-)].
Having another expert, like one of the persons who made the machinery… Idk he/she could talk about the logistics and why it’s better than what’s out there already.
Ashley,
I think your idea of having a fitness expert involved is a good one! You need someone who knows a lot about the product and can show people who are purchasing the new product how to use it properly and safely!
I didn’t know Gold’s Gym had a Train Like a Celebrity campaign?! Truthfully, I don’t do a lot of working out, unless walking my dogs and yoga practice counts?! But using something they already have in place to help sell their new product couldn’t hurt!
I was originally kind of against the idea of using celebrities to sell the product because I felt that “normal people” would be easier to relate to, but after reading your post, I think my mind has changed!
I knew nothing about the, “Train Like a Celebrity” campaign, but I’m glad you brought it to my attention! That concept makes me feel better about my idea to include popular fitness celebs/trainers.
Many are arguing that using average, middle-aged people would suffice and I agree; I believe it’s often difficult for viewers to connect to celebrities who endorse weight loss systems, especially when we know they probably have help outside of the product or system they are endorsing (personal chefs, trainers, etc).
I’m not sure if you were joking about Dwayne Johnson, but I think he’d be a great choice. He is well liked, well known, has a strong fan base and social media presence. The Rock is also 41 years old which is perfect for the target audience. I also chose three people who are big in the fitness world, all 35-55 years old. Great post!
You both understood my post so perfectly… And yes to both. I love Dwayne Johnson and he is the perfect candidate. When I was thinking of celebrities that have worked with Gold’s Gym, I was thrilled when I saw his name. He is friendly and although he is a super buff, former wrestler, I think a lot of people would feel comfortable getting advice from him even for light workouts.
My first thought was also to host an event with Gold’s Gym! If people don’t have time for the gym, how will they have time for the product?
I enjoy the idea of making a press kit for fitness bloggers and writers. I personally think that they are never over used. I think that possibly the practical logistics of the item would be ideal as a discussion point seeing as you can theoretically take your gym anywhere with this product.
Covering it’s simplicity is perfect. Simplicity is important in this age of instant gratification and laziness. I also like the idea of having an expert. .
As 2013 comes to a close, I would take the approach of promoting the new line of Gold’s Gym exercise equipment through the idea of New Year’s resolutions. According to an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50 % of the population (majority being middle aged people, as is our primary market) makes resolutions each new year—the top resolution being to lose weight.
An SMT would be a great way to include popular fitness instructors as well as a psychologist, preferably one who specializes in health. Maintaining a fitness regimen and sticking with weight loss goals include practicing a more balanced diet, exercise, and a strong psychological state. Our primary market wants more exercise but lacks the time to hit the gym… Well, no one has time for anything these days, and if we only focus on that through the SMT it will sound like every other home based line of equipment or work out video. Insight from a health psychologist somehow directly relating to the benefits of the new equipment will set the new line from Gold’s Gym apart from its competitors. By inspiring moments of realization in viewers, Gold’s Gym is making connections, while increasing credibility.
I would use a high-tech gym setting for the SMT, and bring in the voices of instructors like Jillian Michaels, Shaun T, and Tony Horton- These three are certainly experts in the field and are all responsible for popular work out DVD’s that make it easy for one to get a good workout at home and on their own time. Though these instructors use minimal equipment in their videos, footage of them using Gold’s Gym exercise line would be a nice addition- “Whoa, if it’s good enough for Shaun T from, “Insanity,” yeah. It’s good enough for me.” : )
The angle I would use is burning that Thanksgiving Holiday food off at home and being able to do it in a timely manner. Seeing that middle aged men and women seem to have it the hardest in keeping there weight down because of their slower metabolisms.
An SMT with someone who has a background in commercial ads such as Christie Brinkley, who is a model and actress that has been in many infomercials promoting in home gym equipment and the creator of the Gold’s Gym product would be great people to interview. I would have both answering questions from various news reporters from all over. Talking about how Thanksgiving time gives people the opportunity to see family but to also forget about staying healthy and in shape would be a good conversation to bring up by Christie, seeing that she is an older woman.
I would also have video clips of some middle aged men and women using the equipment and instructing how to use it the right way, along with some before and after photos side by side of the people in the corner of the video. This would show a connection to those that the product is aimed at. The SMT would be about 2 hours. I would try to have blog posts with the interviews embed in them along with Google+ hangouts on air possibly to run it live.
Darius,
I really like your angle of using the holiday time to sell the new product! I feel like that is the time of year when people are most conscious of their “unhealthy habits” and vow to change them in the upcoming new year. I also liked your idea of having before and after photos of people who have used the product before, so people can see the transformation they are working toward and know that it is possible for them do do as well!
Interesting thoughts.. I would never have come up with that idea. The fact that more could come from the initial plan is cool, it’s easy to grow and build off of your idea. Could be paired a Black Friday promotion–like a demonstration or featured item.
What I think is lacking is the depth of your plan. Your concern seems to only be about the people that have forgotten to exercise, but what about those who just don’t have time. I think we could all add a segment or something about some short and simple exercises that could be implemented anywhere and anytime.
I liked the angle you created with the Thanksgiving holiday, but I think I would have just expanded it to the holidays in general that way they could run it at that time and maybe get people to purchase the equipment for Christmas gifts. I also really like how you thought of using Christie Brinkley because as you said she has promoted exercise equipment before and that she is the perfect person for the target audience because she is of the same age. Adding the video clips of people using the equipment “correctly” is what stood out to me also. Because anyone could just get on there and use it but to see it done the right way is really good thinking. The use of side by side photos would be good to only if they are not fake looking or are touched up to make them look like they lost the weight using the machine.
Many gym’s offer new members classes or one on one sessions with a personal trainer when they first join in order to get them acquainted with the gym and its equipment. I would set up a SMT that was similar to this concept but instead focus solely on the new line of equipment.
I think rather than having celebrities endorse the product, I would just have the trainers who work at the local gym do the interviews, particularly the ones in the age range of the product’s target audience. These people know the most about the new product and they are easier to relate to for the average person who wants to loose a few pounds or just work out more and live a healthier lifestyle.
I would set the interviews up so the trainer would go through how to use the product, showing specific workouts that can be done at home for people who are on the go and don’t have much time to devote to working out each day. There would also be a portion at the end for questions and answers.
I also think having an online component, maybe through the gym’s Facebook page or a blog site, is important so users of the new product can connect with the people who are interviewed on the SMT easily, and still not have to come into the gym.
I think doing this SMT around the holiday time is a great idea! People always feel guilty for overindulging this time of year and always set New Year’s resolutions to eat better, work out more, and be healthier. Tons of people join gyms at the beginning of January, go for a few weeks and then quit because it’s too much work or they cant find the time. I think doing an SMT and trying to market this product during that time would be the most effective choice.
I really like your angle on this! I didn’t want to go with a celebrity for this particular equipment because you are right, it makes the feeling of being able accomplish your goal less realistic. When it is people that are similar to you, it makes it seem like it could really happen. The social media aspect of your idea is smart. I should have included something like this into mine. Maybe making up a hash tag for the equipment that people could use when they’re working out. A lot of people use a hash tag for Nike Plus when they go running, so something similar could be done. It is an easy way to share workouts with other people. The theme of the SMT could be to burn off all those holiday calories. Or, you could wait until the end of the year and focus it on people trying to accomplish their resolutions. Either way, this was a great idea for an SMT!
I think the holidays would be a great time to pitch this particular product, and I think it would get picked up by a lot of news channels. There were a lot of great ideas, and I really think having personal trainers do the interviews would be a great touch. A lot of people really would like to have personal trainers, but either don’t have time or the money. I think that hearing about the workout product from them would give a lot of credibility to the home gym. The online component could bring in a lot of publicity as well. I think you have some great ideas and were really creative with your SMT. I think that there would be a lot nightly news stations that would air this, and it could do a lot for the product.
Using a satellite media tour, there are a few different ways I could promote this new exercise equipment line by Gold Gym. First, I would need to pick a spokesperson. Since my target age is middle age men and women, I would probably pick a personal trainer that is well known and is right around the age of forty. I would prefer a trainer that is famous and has a good amount of publicity already. I don’t think that a famous person would be good for this particular SMT. Ideally, I would like a man and woman spokesperson, so that it shows that this is aimed for both genders. But if I could only find one I would probably just go with a male. With this particular SMT I would want the spokesperson to first explain fully what the equipment does and how it will benefit users. Then there would be a one on one interview with a host or anchor answering any questions that haven’t been answered and what a consumer may be wondering. After that I would want the equipment’s spokesperson to do a very quick demonstration of exactly how the equipment works. To make the SMT a little more entertaining maybe getting the host or anchor to try it out after would be a good twist. I think it would also be smart to show some before and after shots of what type of results that could come from using the equipment. What I would really want to focus on for this SMT would be how simple and compatible it is to use at home. So even with the busiest life styles, middle age men and women could work out at home for a short time every day.
I liked a lot of your ideas, and think you had some really creative ways to conduct your SMT. I think having both genders is a really good idea, and having the the anchors try it out afterwards would be a really good way to gain some publicity. The before and after would be a good touch as well. I think that if you added in those features you could get away with not using a celebrity. It would be tough to get news to pick it up without a good angle, but I feel like the groundwork for a good SMT is there. Perhaps around the holidays would be a good time to pitch it because of people trying to lose weight from all the holiday foods.
I have a feeling that not many celebritities would be on-board with an SMT for Gold’s Gym. Using great looking, well fit middle-aged pseudo actors would do just fine. The whole point of the “at home” equipment is to cater to audiences that either don’t have time to go to the gym, don’t necessarily like going to the gym and any other reasons that prevent them from going to the gym. These pseudo actors need to replicate what they look for in an audience- busy, middle-aged men and women. It always makes products and services so much more reliable when they have someone that has experienced it themselves to share their story. Even though those “real people” sharing their experiences may be actors, it’s more personable to audiences. So I think that the angle of hectic lives and no time to go to the gym is where I would come from.
I agree with you that using good looking, middle aged actors would be just fine for promotion purposes. Just as I said in my response to Ashley, celebrities are often difficult to connect to and like you said, may not be willing to work with a promo of new gym equipment that doesn’t have their name on it.
On the other hand, I don’t think a combination of both average people and popular fitness faces would hurt. I’m not sure if the Gold’s Gym I found on Google is the same one being referred to in this blog post, but there’s a page on their website of celebrity quotes- though it’s certainly not the main focus of the site, it is a nice touch.
Your angle of illustrating reliability, and relatability is great. Personally, I drive myself crazy reading reviews on products before I buy them and I consciously look for the voices of people who are most like me (age, lifestyle, etc).
I think that you are missing the positive possibilities… My thought–when considering my plan–was to contact someone who has already been involved in the program, they are more likely to want to contribute again… The company could give them time with the machinery and in return they’d film their opinion of the product and what their favorite set is with it.
I totally agree with your viewpoint. I feel as if a lot of times we go with people who don’t fit the target audience as spokespeople. How do they relate to the target audience? Have they gone through some of the same things, are they truly focused on the same goals? Unless this person has a super relatable story and we have seen them before somewhere in this reality TV stage we live in, they shouldn’t be some super advanced workout guru, which the audience won’t be able to relate to. I think reliability is definitely key in commercials and advertising; you need someone that will attract consumers and motivate them as well. Also, maybe incorporating testimonials and bio’s of the people who actually did what the audience is trying to do. If you have a single mother of 4 that’s trying to lose weight, and doesn’t have time to go to the gym, can she relate to the young single woman who has all the time in the world to get fit? #QuestionsToConsiderWhilePromoting
By Ken
I would create an angle for a SMT that involved an actor or actress with a new movie coming out, and then use publicity of the movie and the new line of work out equipment together. If they were targeting the middle-aged man or woman that doesn’t have time for the gym, I would use a middle-aged actor or actress (or both if cost allowed) and have them answer questions about their new movie and mention how they used the equipment to stay in shape while shooting on location, This would work in all markets and could be a very good way to help gain publicity. It would not come off as a commercial, and could be very well received if done properly. The textbook said there is a need to create an angle, and a new movie with celebrities will usually suffice for a news channel’s nightly news. An interview where the workout machine is mentioned by the in-shape actor or actress would give some credibility as well. As the book also mentioned, I would have some B footage to show of the celebrities working out on location and how the new eworked. I think it could be a bit expensive, but very worth it if a lot of news channels wanted the interview.
Ken, how would you tie together the movie and the use of the workout equipment? Would this be a movie that actually ties into fitness in some sort of way, or would it be a “by the way, Shelly M. has a movie coming out in three weeks so be sure to check it out” type of thing. What would your angle actually be, besides the fact that there is a movie coming out with this same star? Do you think the promotion of the movie would overshadow the publicity of the gym? I know a lot of people that would rather go see a movie, and stuff their faces with buttery popcorn than go workout….just a thought.
For my Gold’s Gym SMT I would have Gold’s Gym spokesperson that works in the Venice Beach, California location (where Gold’s Gym first opened) to talk for two hours about the new line of Gold’s Gym exercise equipment hitting the market. I wound have the local news station in New York City such as the hosts of the Today Show to ask questions to the spokesperson. The panel would connect via satellite to the spokesperson in California. The spokesperson would first talk to the group about the new line and how it works. Then they will do a short demonstration of a few pieces of the new equipment they have set up in the gym. That way the panel can see the equipment in action. Then the panel will be able to answer questions about the equipment to the Gold’s Gym spokesperson. The angle I would take on this SMT is to push the importance of exercising. To be able to work out at home and take as much or as little of time that you have. The panel will have on hand free weights that they can try out during the SMT so they can test out the equipment first hand. The SMT via satellite to New York City would be the local angle because Gold’s Gym is going to launch their new equipment in a store there first. This SMT would be geared towards men and women who are so busy with work, kids and everything else families have going on these days.
So, I apologize because this is way late. I was working like a dog all last week and even missed class, so I was even a little unclear as to the assignment. Basically, I would want an SMT that focused on the importance of exercising, and specifically the exercises allowed via the product.
I would like to also incorporate the idea of a demo. Much like Mr. Norris does for the Total Gym. Unlike the Total gym, I would not like celebrities involved at all. I feel that it is cheap and lessens the true integrity of a product when you need to hide behind a famous face to sell your product. the product should speak for itself.
I agree and love the idea of both going to the original Gold’s gym location, as well as bringing people in off the streets to work on the equipment in the public eye and give testimonials.
I would create an SMT surrounding the holidays, it’s usually around these times right after the chicken, collard greens, and all the rolls your mouth can fit that people have an epiphany about how they need to exercise more and get some of this “holiday weight off” I’ve even heard people refer to themselves pre-holiday as their pre-thanksgiving body. We are a country that equates every holiday to food, so it’s the perfect opportunity to promote workout equipment. I would definitely do a video news release that fun and intriguing. I would include a spokesperson that is current in the media and can pull a draw, actually I think I would go with two spokespeople…two people that may not “fit” together in terms of personality, but would definitely draw attention from more than one end of the spectrum. Trends are popular, making actually working out to lose weight and not just to be cute can be a trend…utilizing the elliptical machines and things of that nature can be a trend. I would do a mini TV series utilizing our workout equipment, but also throwing in health recipes for holiday meals, as a way to capitalize on the holidays. Of course being that it’s the holiday season, I would definitely do some sort of social media contest, having people share their testimonies of weight-loss or why they need to lose the holiday weight that they’ve gained. I would raffle off a piece of equipment, and a 1 year membership to Gold’s Gym (because obviously we have locations everywhere right?).
For this SMT I think I would want to use celebrities because they have busy life styles but also the demand to stay fit. I think that they would be able to serve as spokes people in the sense that they could give testimonials, talk about how this product has made their lives easier because they know that if they don’t have time to make it to the gym they can work out at home. They would also need to hit on the fact that they still feel like they are getting just as good of a work if they had gone to the gym. I would want to use a variety of different celebrities from different genres and age groups, just to show that this isn’t just for one type of person but for everyone. You don’t need to be a gym rat to know how to use it but its also still a good enough workout to satisfy the gym rat. However I would want the majority of the actors to be older since that is our target audience. I think it may also be helpful to have a personal trainer to discuss the benefits of this equipment.