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Bid to boost business via mobile phone FITNESS First have teamed up with O2 media in a bid to boost business via mobile phones. The marketing campaign – one of the first of its kind in the UK – involves offering five days’ free membership and a personal training session via SMS to O2 customers living in specific postcodes near Fitness First gyms. It specifically targets O2 customers who are interested in health, wellbeing and sports, aged between 18 and 35. Target customers within three miles of a Fitness First gym are sent a short text message which asks them to respond to a short code with their postcode. Those that respond receive a personalised text message reply with the address and phone number of their local gym, and with a five day voucher to use in that gym. O2 provides Fitness First with a daily email with qualified leads of customer mobile numbers and postcodes to call the customer and book an appointment. Sophie Lawler-Hall, UK marketing manager for Fitness First, said: “Using this highly-targeted medium is helping ensure maximum campaign effectiveness, proving mobile to be one of our most successful acquisition tools to date.”
UK FITNESS SCENE
Charity weigh-in reaps rewards for gym ... By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym is reaping the rewards of an in-club weight loss course for members that was originally launched to raise money for charity. Calso Health and Fitness, based in Bromley, launched a ten-week slimming course in 2002 to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis but it was such a success, programmes have continued for the last seven years. Members pay £25 for the course – non-members pay £35 – which includes a half-hour consultation at the start to discuss what they want to achieve and their eating and exercise habits. Weekly weigh-ins encourage members to stay on track and a leader board on display in the gym records how much people lose – or don’t lose – each week. Gary Nicholas, an ex army PTI, runs the gym with wife Becky, a nutritionist and ex-professional athlete. Slimmers are encouraged to keep a food diary, which they can go through with the pair if they are struggling. Gary said he takes a strict military approach with the courses, but claims it gets results.
Gary’s helping older people CALSO specialises in the over fifties and Gary takes regular classes for older people, many of whom have severe health conditions. He said: “Some of my classes just break my heart – I’ve got people with triple heart bypasses and some that have had severe strokes but they all take part. I create circuit sessions that everyone can do and I adapt them for those that struggle. “I’ve got so many characters in the classes. I used to run them just once a week but it just exploded and I’ve noticed a real improvement in the health of the He said: “I make it clear at the start that I am strict and I won’t accept poor excuses. If people mess up, they are off the course. “I’m not horrible to them but I won’t take being lied to so as long as people are honest about going off-track, I’ll help them. I have had to kick people off the programme before and they don’t get a refund, but they always pay to come back on and do it again – properly.”
people who come to them, so it makes my job really satisfying.” Calso is surrounded by chains but Gary said it thrives because it is small and attracts the older members who are intimidated by large health clubs. The gym holds regular open days so people can see what goes on in the classes and has seen some members achieve amazing results. Gary added: “A few years ago we had a lady in her fifties join who had never been to a gym in her life but she lost seven stone and became a British rowing champion. It’s an incredible story and we have lots more like it.” Members lose up to two stone over the ten weeks and users of the programme range from overweight women to men wanting to gain a fast six-pack. The gym is also heavily involved with cross training – encouraging members to push themselves and enter competitions – and Becky herself won the national cross training gym fitness grand prix in 2007 and 2008.