As brands of all kinds confront the intense challenges of how globalization and technology has so greatly increased competition, the gym is an excellent example of brand vulnerability in survival in a market more densely crowded than ever before. In larger cities in particular, newer names like Blink and PlanetFitness have emerged, and seized significant dominance chiefly through appealing to pricing. Then, the field is also impacted by how difficult it is for any gym to retain consistent memberships, given how people so often sign up, and then become uninterested. Curves is then positioned to recreate itself, even as the brand is struggling in the highly populated market. As will be seen, a new branding strategy based on both utilizing the female-only aspect of the gyms and extending that unique attribute into marketing partnerships, is the best direction in reversing the organization’s trajectory of closing franchises.
Strategy Elements
As with any rebranding, the first consideration must be an awareness of what is succeeding with the brand, and Curves has the advantage of a distinctive name. While some Curves franchises permit male membership, the primary identity is the gym solely for females, and the existing name underscores this strongly. At the same time, it suggests a stereotypical or sexist idea of the woman as motivated to exercise only to enhance her attractiveness to men.
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Generally speaking, women tend to segregate themselves in unisex gym spaces (Schinke & McGannon, 2014, p. 175), which indicates a more expansive motivation. Certainly, both sexes exercise to increase their physical appeal, but emphasizing this in the name may be misguided, and a more impactful name would be HerSelf. This has the Curves asset of being a single word, and it promotes the idea of the women as more empowered, rather than as seeking a sexier body. Turning to packaging, most Curves are well-designed spaces with a wide range of equipment, and this component may be accepted as such. The only caveat would be the parent company’s discouraging décor that is overtly and traditionally feminine. As to price point, Curves is competitive but, as so many chains have come to understand, consumers dislike initiation fees. The franchises have some control here, but the parent company should make it policy that HerSelf offers accessibility chosen by the customer: no initiation fee (generally ninety-nine dollars in Curves), and, as with current smartphone company strategy, no contracts. If anything defines the modern consumer in general, it is the demand to be free of ongoing obligations.
Regarding the rebranding more directly and apart from name change, Curves must understand the relationship between advertising strategy, product positioning, distribution, and is existing brand because these components greatly influence one another. To begin with, the female-centric aspect is critical, especially in so dense a gym market; unique value, or the unique experience attracting customers, is hardly new, but today’s vastly increased competition makes this quality more essential than ever (Kerin & Hartley, 2016, p. 10). This then relates to product positioning as virtually a given. In plain terms, Curves knows it market, and the rebranding tactic here should be directed to promoting age ranges, and encouraging older women to join. Advertising should then emphasize female age diversity, as well as options appealing to both women who seek a social gym experience and those who want assurance of autonomy. To that end, the individual quality of the name “HerSelf” is a further marketing advantage. Then, the franchise system both offers opportunity to Curves while presenting usual challenges. The contractual nature of the franchise allows for significant consumer advantages; the size of the parent company brings down prices, just as the larger entity status promotes greater trust in the brand’s quality (Kerin & Hartley, 2016, p. 372). The need to close stores, in fact, was explained by Managing Director John Canarick as demanded by poor performance of franchisees, and a great deal of the drops in membership was attributed to owners purchasing multiple stores (Krauss, 2014). It seems that such owners were merely trusting to an automatic interest from women, which ignores how both genders are ambivalent in gym attendance. To counter this, distribution and advertising should cooperate, in that HerSelf would form partnerships with other local businesses appealing to primarily female consumer bases, and arrange mutual discounts. Linked to this is the need for the parent company to investigate potential owners’ intents and qualifications, rather than only selling franchises to those willing to buy. A trajectory must be established in which the potential owner’s knowledge of the local market would be employed in actual gym design and location, which then enhances the brand’s entire image. As important as name change, then, is the proactive approach of individual gym design, accommodating local preferences while maintaining the brand status through recognizable elements.
Conclusion
Few, if any, businesses today are immune to the impacts of modern competition. The gym, however, faces both increased competition and the challenges of retaining members in a consumer base notoriously unreliable in terms of commitment. A further issue lies in control of how franchises function and, with Curves, an assumption of female interest that cannot be relied upon in this industry. Locations are consistently closing at growing rates, and rebranding is necessary, from a less stereotypically “feminine” name to a greater investment from the parent company in developing partnerships, marketing to all age ranges, and far more effective interactions with franchisees. HerSelf then represents a new branding strategy utilizing the female-only aspect of the gyms, extending that unique advantage into marketing partnerships, and ultimately reversing Curves’ trajectory of closing franchises.
- Kerin, R. A., & Hartley, S. W. (2016). Marketing: The Core, 6th Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
- Schinke, R. J., & McGannon, A. R. (2014). The Psychology of Sub-Culture in Sport and Physical Activity: Critical Perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge.
- Strauss, K. (16 June 2014). “Crash Diet: After Shedding Thousands Of Locations, Can Curves Get Back In Shape?” Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com
