Noticed lately that consumers seem to be getting smarter? The Sporting Club at Lakeshore Towers has. Last year, the club launched a direct-mail marketing campaign void of any hype or price-war strategies. There were no flashy photographs, pictures of hard bodies or “50 percent off the initiation fee” offers. Plain and simply, the ad offered prospective members a priceless commodity — quality of life.

Playing it straight

While much of health club advertising still relies on the “get-the-body-you’ve-always-wanted” tactic, the Sporting Club recognized a need to play it straight with consumers. “We wanted them to know we’re interested in their life,” says Darren Hogdon,” president of Athletic Clubs of America, marketing consultant for the campaign. “There’s a pent-up demand from people who are really looking for a wellness/fitness program, not just a good deal. There [are] people out there saying, ‘I just want someone to take my money and get me in shape.’ There’s a real consciousness about no-hype.”

Printed on warm-tone recycled paper, the 5-inch-square fold-out, titled “Live Longer, Live Better,” includes simple hand drawings and is accented with earth tones throughout. As part of a cross-marketing agreement with American Express, the piece was sent to AMEX cardholders in the club’s Orange County market area at no charge to The Sporting Club. The club’s target audience included working professionals age 40 and above who, Hogdon says, “have gotten off the fast-track of the ’80s, are now family-oriented and beginning to recognize their own immortality.”

Healthy results

Capitalizing on many people’s resolutions to begin exercising after the New Year, the piece was mailed in December. During a three-week period, it generated more than 120 telephone inquiries and walk-in visits, and yielded 51 new memberships. According to ACA, the campaign boasted a 41 percent closing ratio and paid for itself with the sale of less than six memberships. “This campaign drew in a market that was just ideal,” says Hogdon, who served as interim general manager of the Sporting Club at Lakeshore Towers when it first opened in 1992.

“People actually came in with the piece in hand and wanted to start a program. That’s why the campaign worked — because it was about starting an exercise program not about buying a health club membership.”

Since the facility first opened, Hogdon says the Sporting Club has been committed to people and programming first and foremost. “We really wanted to distinguish ourselves from the price-war-type facilities that seem to pitch their facility and equipment above anything else.” In addition to the traditional club offerings, the Sporting Club offers monthly CPR classes, complimentary fitness evaluations, pepper spray instruction and motivational contests, in addition to a kid’s gym, indoor in-line skating and a rock climbing wall. And while it is the goal of the Lakeshore Towers club to make exercise convenient and fun for members, there’s an underlying message that prevails. “Our message basically says ‘Get your priorities straight,’” says Hogdon. “All of these things we work so hard to buy are meaningless without our health.” Judging by the observation of management, members appear to be listening. “We’re finding more of our members come in here and do it not for the body, but for their health,” says Director of Fitness Services Celeste Budd. “And if a person feels good about the club and the programs they offer, they’re more likely to stick with it and tell other people about it.”