Blazing a Trail
David Lloyd Clubs
The Challenge
To support the launch of David Lloyd Clubs’ first standalone boutique exercise studio, BLAZE Birmingham.
More specifically, we had to create awareness and excitement around the new studio with a core millennial audience and drive sign-ups for the unique HIIT full-body workout classes, which combine combat and mixed martial arts with intense cardio and strength training.
The Idea
Success hinged on making as much noise as possible around the January launch.
So, we implemented a hardworking proactive and reactive press office – engaging with media, influencers, businesses and celebrities.
We placed press competitions, delivered media partnerships and devised Cop a Squat – offering fitness fanatics free smoothies in exchange for squats.
On top of that, we hosted a high-energy VIP event with the studio’s exclusive music curator, ‘Dax on the Sax’, and launched the studio’s Facebook and Instagram pages, growing both audiences from scratch through engaging organic content and influencer outreach.
The Results
- All told, we delivered 23 news articles including Birmingham Live (twice), I Choose Birmingham, Style Birmingham and Birmingham Updates.
- Better still, 71% of online coverage included a backlink to the BLAZE Birmingham website and 32 publishers shared posts on their social channels.
- We also delivered three broadcast visits including Heart, Capital and Birmingham TV, the latter resulting in a three-minute feature.
- 75 influencers talked about the launch on their social feeds, with nine influencers and six journalists testing out the new studio.
- We also saw visits from X Factor winner Joe McElderry and Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes.
- By the end of the campaign, we had reached more than 241,000 users on social.
- On top of that, we grew the organic social following from 0 to just under 1,500 in a matter of weeks, delivering a staggering 8.31% engagement rate across organic social content.
241kSocial reach