Goal
Boost pre-opening membership sales.
Challenge
LA Fitness, a national health club brand, did not have an existing market presence, the local sales team had limited support from corporate offices, no marketing budget, and the product was intangible as it would not be able to be utilized for months.
Solution
As gyms are a microcosm of the community, on the whole, I proposed and coordinated a block party, including dozens of local businesses structured around a fundraiser for a not-for-profit. This event raised over $1,000 for the non-profit, exposed the local companies to a whole new community, and doubled membership sales for the month.
Background
Recognizing that garnering support and excitement for an international corporation without any prior community involvement would be near impossible, I examined the assets available to me early in my career and determined my small network of entrepreneurial business owners was the most valuable tool. My goal was to utilize their channels to build my own, co-marketing the event through their brands.
Value was needed to bring these organizations into the mix. For this, I partnered with Love Thy Neighbor, a local not-for-profit, supporting the national charity Cleaning for a Reason, which gives the gift of free house cleaning to women undergoing treatment for cancer.
With that support, I was able to secure dozens of participating businesses, five local restaurants, radio and TV news plugs, and thousands of dollars in raffle prizes. By coordinating the event timing and PR angle with a promotion at an adjacent restaurant, additional value was added to the partnering organizations as they were all exposed to hundreds of new clients while I was indirectly achieving my initial goal of increased membership sales.
Responsibilities
- Event Creation, Planning, and Oversight
- Stakeholder & Partner Organization
- Media Negotiation and Promotion
