Fitness Brand Orangetheory Celebrates 'Newvember' in Latest Campaign from Tombras

While brands in the fitness category have struggled through the pandemic, OTF and Tombras have rebounded quickly thanks to a smart insight that helped uncover an entirely new member base. 

The Newvember campaign, launching this month, is designed to further solidify its membership numbers. 

The data Tombras gleaned about members who were willing to come in formed the backbone of a new and expanded targeting approach centered on lookalike audiences whose demographics reflected those active existing members. The new targeting methodology succeeded in helping OTF meet and exceed its redefined membership goals. 

The Newvember campaign, led by a new Tombras creative team, is a departure from past OTF campaigns. This time, the work draws on the key insight that “the enemy for OTF is self-doubt.” 

Research conducted by OTF and Kelton Global in June also played into the campaign. The study found startling statistics on “basement burnout”, indicating that people are more than ready for a return to the gym:

- 70% of exercising-Americans admit they miss their routine before COVID-19, with over 30% missing being inside a gym

- 68% of Americans report their fitness regimen took a hit

- 41% of Americans are suffering from the monotony of the at-home fitness regime 

- 32% miss the real-life connections their pre-pandemic exercise routines afforded 

Newvember is a month-long activation to make those who are hesitant feel instantly welcome, and encourages them to get a jumpstart on fitness goals, building momentum before the new year instead of waiting until January. The campaign kicked off November 1, and OTF is already seeing an ~84% increase in MoM daily new joins, per studio average. 

“While the pandemic physically closed our doors, in another sense it opened them to a whole new set of members -- people craving the fundamental benefits of health, but also being together and coached by a professional who actually knows you and is with you in the same room,” said Kevin Keith, Chief Brand Officer at OTF. “Through testing, learning and mining our own data, we've gotten a keen understanding of who our most promising prospects are right now. We know what keeps them from trying OTF is often self-doubt. We're out to help people get over that hurdle so they can live longer, more vibrant lives.” 

At a high level, the brand delves into providing a basic understanding of the OTF experience as well as newer concerns around group exercise tied to the pandemic. To address them the brand employed humor, creating a tongue-in-cheek campaign that showcases these barriers. For example, the :30 illustrates the inner monologue new prospective members have, asking themselves, “Am I doing this right? Am I already sweating? What is a Splat Point? Oh! The door is closing and I do not love that.” 

The Newvember activation includes new class offerings, such as a Newbies class for new members only, swag for new members and referral incentives for existing members. Additionally, all new members who join now will get the next month free. 

With over 1,300 locations in the US, the franchise-based fitness brand has recovered well compared to many competitors. OTF has met and surpassed membership goals for 2021 and unlike others, OTF was able to maintain independence throughout the last 16 months. 

The Newvember campaign will serve the brand through early 2022. This marks the brand’s first real marketing push since 2019, with work since focused on business recovery, resulting in increased membership for the brand. 

The work launched on Nov. 1 and will run on CTV, programmatic, and paid social.