This week, on the Fitness + Technology podcast, Bryan welcomes Craig Miller, Chief Digital & Information Officer for Planet Fitness, the largest health club chain in the world, with 13 million members across 1800 clubs. Miller came to Planet Fitness via Sonic Drive-In, and he shares with F+T listeners his wealth of experience in the digital sphere and how data can be used to provide a competitive advantage in the fitness field.
One Powerful Quote:
8:00 What I found is that probably 70, 75% of a digital strategy is really very consistent [across industry]. It isn't until the go-to-market or consumer-facing aspect of your business is when it really begins to change.
OR
12:35: The foundation of all digital strategies is data.
4-10 Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
2:45 Guest Craig Miller talks about his first 18 months at Planet Fitness and how he ended up working at the world's largest health club chain.
4:40 Bryan asks Craig to talk about the Planet Fitness brand and its incredible growth and trajectory, which he attributes to strong fundamentals as well as a deliberate marketing campaign to recruit not the 20% of Americans who regularly go to the gym, but the 80% who do not.
7:40 Craig talks about what he sees as digital trends in the fitness industry, and how his experience working in other industries helps to inform and shape that view.
10:50: Craig shares the five objectives Planet Fitness uses to leverage the benefits of technology.
12:30: Bryan asks Craig to share his thoughts on the role data plays in Planet Fitness's digital strategy and how to use this volume of information in a meaningful way.
16:50 Craig shares his view of the at-home market, whether it is poised for continued growth, and what is holding this market back.
20:40 Craig reiterates to listeners the importance of staying true to a company's core values, and at 22:45, shares how thoughts on this year's IHRSA conference.
Bullet List of Resources:
https://www.planetfitness.com/
Guest Contact information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigj91
On this week's Fitness + Technology podcast, host Bryan O'Rourke welcomes, from beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark, Kenn Gudbergsen, co-founder of TrainAway. TrainAway is a mobile app that provides users, especially travelers, access to gyms directly on their phone. Recently, TrainAway partnered with IHRSA to offer a passport program that provides IHRSA member with a 25% discount and participating clubs while they travel. Listen in as Kenn and Bryan discuss industry trends including the upswing in travelers, especially millennials, who still work out while they travel.
One Powerful Quote:
22:22: “It's all about learning. We need to learn from our users, and we need to learn from the gyms. It's the fundamental feedback loop we need to succeed at...being able to learn from your users is so important.”
4-10 Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
3:05: Kenn gives us a quick rundown of his business philosophy, as fully articulated in a recent article published in LinkedIn, and how this serves as the basis for TrainAway.
6:25: Bryan asks about the notion of convenience. How big is the marketplace for young, itinerant people like the ones TrainAway attracts? Kenn believes that the growth of people who describe themselves as fit and active is a huge factor.
8:35: Kenn shares the three main value propositions he hears from club owners who work with TrainAway to attract travelers.
11:25: Kenn talks about the partnership between IHRSA and TrainAway, which includes a passport program that provides IHRSA members with discounted access to clubs when they travel.
19:50: Bryan asks Kenn what inspired him to start Trainaway.
18:40: Kenn talks about what it's like to be an entrepreneur in the nordic region.
21:20: Kenn shares a few pieces of important information he has learned along the path of being an entrepreneur, including the importance of finishing work.
Bullet List of Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-fitness-industry-loses-out-potential-revenue-world-gudbergsen
https://www.ihrsa.org/improve-your-club/programs-for-members/passport/
Guest Contact information:
https://twitter.com/kegu10ab?lang=en
https://dk.linkedin.com/in/kenn-hougaard-gudbergsen-5b66a044