Situation:
Since 2016, Planet Fitness has hosted an annual campaign in support of its Judgement Free Generation charitable initiative, raising funds for the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Canada to encourage a cultural change to help put an end to the bullying and judgement faced by youth today. For 2018, Planet Fitness hoped to get more members engaged in their gyms across Canada to ultimately increase the funds raised. For this year’s program, Planet Fitness decided to consult with Apex Public Relations Inc., to help reach their objectives and make 2018 their most successful year yet.
Campaign:
With the assistance and expertise of Apex Public Relations Inc., the team came up with the idea of a Snapchat activation within a 5 km radius across all 26 Canadian clubs from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30. The activation included a video ad explaining the initiative and a geo-filter for members who donated. The filter incorporated the following message, “Who exercised kindness by donating to the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Canada?” with two thumbs up emoji’s intended to point to the donor/user of the geo-filter.
The goals of the campaign were to achieve $4 or less per thousand impressions (CPM) for the video ad, $12.50 CPM or less for the geo-filter and finally, assist with achieving 100 per cent of the overall fundraising goal.
Results:
The initiative turned out to be incredibly successful. The use of Snapchat was a hit with Planet Fitness members because approximately 79% of Snapchat users are over the age of 18, which paralleled with the campaign’s target audience. The Snapchat video ad achieved $2.19 CPM, which was 45 per cent better than the target goal and the geo-filter achieved $7.19 CPM which was also better than the target goal by 43 per cent.
The use of social media was an ingenious way to effectively convey the message that Planet Fitness aspired to spread, which was to encourage members to donate to the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs but also to carry the positivity of the gym’s Judgement Free Generation Corporate Social Responsibility policy. Additionally, the campaign was so impressive that it was able to generate media coverage in Strategy Magazine.
About APEX Public Relations and ruckus Digital
APEX and ruckus Digital represent a collective of experienced, smart and creative communicators. Our unmatched track record of award-winning campaigns, client retention and client satisfaction are a testament to our ability to get it right, over and over again. Our work extends to all sectors, with a concentration on consumer brands, corporate and B2B, technology and reputation management. The key to our success is a fusion of senior level strategists, creative ideas, a passion for our work, client collaboration and a disciplined focus on achieving results that impact our clients’ bottom lines. For more information visit www.apexpr.com and www.ruckusdigital.ca.
About Planet Fitness
Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of December 31, 2018, Planet Fitness had more than 12.5 million members and 1,742 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico. The Company’s mission is to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone®. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.
By Kylie White CPRS Toronto Volunteer