POWERFUL IS EMPOWERING

Situation: In 2020, BowFlex experienced an influx of new customers as interest in home fitness surged. However, this growth also brought increased competition. To stay ahead, the Executive Team gave the green light for new TV creative and I requested updated competitive and consumer research to identify current trends. No surprise, all TV spots in home fitness were quickly becoming a sea of sameness. Same intense visuals. Same anthemic music. Same storyline. Not only did we want to mix things up, but we needed to. 

Action: What do cats in trees or torso tattoos have to do with BowFlex? Not much until I called our good friends at JEAN. Our customers wanted to know beyond specs and sweat what working out really meant for them. We kept coming back to the word empowering. We wanted something different and motivating during the holiday season, one that might make you smile, but also transport you into a fantasy world of doing all that was previously unthinkable; because the feeling of exercise gives you the confidence to do anything. Also, rather than simply show all of the great ways you can use our new Yoga workouts to stay calm, how about we show you why staying calm is oh so important.

Results: The "Powerful is Empowering" campaign ran successfully for a strong 6 months, with 100% of the TV budget allocated to it. It exceeded ROI goals by 67%. Ad testing revealed that the campaign defied category norms, increased brand associations with "Empowering" and "Inclusive" compared to Tonal and NordicTrack competitive spots. Prior to the ad, BowFlex had not been considered inclusive, but the campaign helped move the brand in that direction. The success of the campaign led to a budget for developing a part two spot and an extended digital series to drive JRNY app memberships. The "Calm Dad" series ran on paid social for 3 months and resulted in 3 times new app members vs. the control.