editor’s letter
Cover image: Tom Daley at the Plymouth Life Centre, courtesy of SLM (p38). Credit: Sam Johnson
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june 2012 © cybertrek 2012 SANDIE DAWE KICKSTARTER Service with style where’s the fun?
“We’ve done a very good job of sucking the fun out of fitness. It’s all so serious now – we need to put the fun back into it.” That was the verdict of Scott Hopson, VP of business development at PTA Global, when he spoke at the PTA Global launch in April. It’s a fair point. Understandably we’re all being challenged to
measure outcomes, not least to help secure funding and drive sector credibility. Meanwhile the gym floor is becoming a hotbed of learned discussion: “we’re now training the most educated member of all time,” added Hopson. Indeed, the internet and a whole plethora of training apps are equipping members with a vocabulary that was formerly the exclusive domain of elite trainers: VO2
max, watt output, heart rate training... it’s all
becoming standard gym speak and is taking gym floor chat to a new level of complexity and earnestness. But while this increased focus on measurable results is absolutely to be welcomed – in itself, it plays
a significant role in member retention – is it coming at the expense of other equally important, if less quantifiable, drivers of member satisfaction? After all, members aren’t only coming to us for results; particularly in this day and age of fitness apps and readily accessible science, they could feasibly get fit on their own. Those who choose to come to gyms are doing so for the broader experience: the motivation, the interaction, the social sense of ‘club’, the fun. But are they getting this? ‘Fitness for fun’
In this day and age of fi tness apps and readily accessible science, people could feasibly get fi t on their own. Those who choose to come to gyms do so for the motivation, the social aspect, the fun
certainly hasn’t been abandoned in principle – witness Zumba, group exercise innovation from the likes of Crunch and Gymbox, investment in AV systems to rival nightclubs, small group training led by motivational instructors... Nevertheless, across the sector as a whole, fun is arguably being overshadowed by a growing
focus on data and hi-tech gadgets. We risk losing a vital contributor to member engagement in the process. Step forward gamification. A nascent trend in the fitness sector (see p46), nevertheless it is clearly
one which – by turning the forging of good fitness habits into a highly sociable, even addictive, reward-based game – holds huge potential for engaging more people in physical activity. And there are number of initiatives already carving out this niche. Bodybook, for example, encourages
people to join its online community and take part in challenges, from completing 100 sit-ups to logging 500 PT sessions. Bodybookers can invite friends to compete, with a Facebook-style wall for feedback, encouragement, progress updates and leader boards; updates can also be posted to other social media pages. A sticker book shows challenges completed, with participants also setting FitRewards – something to which they’ll treat themselves on completion – at the outset of each challenge. Website Challengemore adopts a similar approach; other options already on the market include apps such as re:route, plus MapMyRun and Nexercise in conjunction with Kiip, where points equal rewards from local businesses. It’s easy to see how gyms could tap into this technology – creating branded challenges and offering their
own FitRewards via Bodybook, for example. But even if they choose to remain offline, ‘gamifying’ their offering – creating member challenges with points and rewards – would go a long way towards making maintaining an exercise regime more fun, and therefore something to which members are more likely to adhere.
Kate Cracknell, editor –
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