Between a thriving women’s pro sports scene, the proliferation of wellness-themed third spaces that skew female, and the “strong, not skinny” health movement that continues to gain steam, women’s fitness activations are having a moment. And the brands that are thoughtfully producing them are reaping the rewards of paying attention to a demographic that has historically been underserved by sports marketing.
A Swim Week Sponsorship
As Miami Swim Week got underway, strength training app Ladder used the event to officially kick off “Strong Girl Summer.” Building on its partnership with global pop star Hilary Duff, the brand promoted its “Stronger, Not Smaller” campaign messaging, which highlights the shifting mentality around women’s fitness, across the city.
In addition to a range of OOH tactics used, including wild postings, stencils and barge display ads, Ladder coach Robin Barrett was on-site to speak to attendees about what the campaign personally means to them. And in a re-creation of “Cash Cab,” the brand transformed a car into the Ladder Quiz Cab and tapped the show’s own Ben Bailey to play host by testing riders on their strength-training knowledge.
A Community Pop-Up
Solidcore, a strength-training brand that operates a network of fitness studios and has a member base that slants heavily female, turned attention to its new Stronger For It brand platform with an outdoor pop-up experience in L.A. that focused on community-driven touchpoints and programming.
Invited attendees explored how the strength, resilience and confidence they build at the gym shapes the way they show up in the world, and participated in demos, coaching, storytelling moments, a traditional photo booth and a crowdsourced “What Are You Stronger For” wall, on top of consuming community-driven programming centered on the principle that growth is built through challenge.
A Colorful Collab
For the first IRL promotion of its new Gymshark Women brand, Gymshark partnered with fashion doll company Bratz to transform an outdoor lot in Miami into a fully operational gym and retail experience dubbed “GymBratz,” a space that highlighted the overlap between the brands’ defining characteristics, including bold self-expression.
Attendees who stopped by for a sweat had access to powerlifting- and glute-focused areas, group fitness classes, and a “Bestie Zone” cardio machine area, all featured alongside a branded retail space spanning an exclusive Gymshark x Bratz collection, fitting rooms and a Doll Box photo op.
What’s more, a customization station gave attendees the chance to personalize merch via airbrush; a branded Gym Vanity and Beauty Bar offered LED mirrors, color-changeable lighting and a “Nail ER” where women could get their nails touched up after working out; and a live dj kept the good vibes flowing.
That’s target marketing at full strength.
Featured photo: Courtesy of Gymshark
