When Gold’s Gym needed to bulk up its membership, Bernstein-Rein showed them how to work smarter, not harder.
At Bernstein-Rein, we believe retail intelligence comes from consumer insights, a true brand purpose, and half a century of unrivaled experience. We put these beliefs together to accelerate growth. This approach is called Retailigent™ – it's what drives our work every day.
For a brand born out of the bodybuilding culture, Gold’s Gym’s was focused on free weights, fat-burning and muscular physique. But with the emergence of a new fitness-minded culture, consumers were demanding a dramatically different exercise experience.
With fierce competition from new clubs, boutique gyms and training trends, Gold’s Gym was seeing declines in new membership growth and retention. To stay competitive, it needed to transform its gyms and its brand in a way that appealed to a consumer whose fitness goals were no longer defined by “leg days” — but by living well.
Members who truly wanted a fitness lifestyle possess the Fitness Gene mindset.
Using Mindset Modeling™, we dug through multiple years of Gold’s Gym member data, and discovered their “best members" not only had the financial means to afford an enhanced membership, but also held key differentiating attitudes that made them more likely to aspire to fitness goals through fitness club membership instead of options like a home gym. We named it the Fitness Gene — and we knew exactly how to apply it.
Our approach established a communications strategy with a strong acquisition focus on prospecting more “best members” and driving lead volume among those who fit the highly-motivated fitness lifestyle. The power of targeting clarity drove a smarter way to profile, identify and engage fitness-minded prospects.
As a result, Gold’s Gym started flexing serious membership muscle. We increased lead volume by 25% and grew new member growth by 16% in the first year. All while reducing the cost-per-lead by 53% to drive a stronger ROI.
