I checked out all of the posters for the new Les Mills image campaign, and I thought I'd offer my "two cents."
I
do like most of them. They seem to be trying to sum up the
essence of each program in a single sentence. My favorite is
BODYSTEP's "Go from good enough to greater than." It suggests that I'm
not a loser now, but I can be more physically fit than I ever
imagined. It's inspiring to me.
I also like COMBAT (Fitness
is a battle. Welcome to the front line.), RPM (Ride it like you
stole it), and FLOW (Be the calm in the storm.) I teach
FLOW/BALANCE, so my only complaint about the new slogan is that it
doesn't say anything to let people know what an intense workout the
class is. The greatest challenge in promoting FLOW at my fitness
center has been convincing people it's a serious workout. "Be the
calm in the storm" does promote FLOW's ability to fight stress and get
'centered' mentally, but I could also "be the calm in the storm" if I
took some tranquilizers. However, I do think the slogan nails the
mental and spiritual essence, if not the physical.
BODYVIVE (Have
a wise head on a hot body.) My personal jury is still out on this one,
but my hubby likes it. He says it suggests to him that VIVE will
deliver the combined bonus of the wisdom that comes with age and the
body of a younger man. My hubby is definitely a member of VIVE's
core market when it comes to age and fitness level, so maybe this one
does hit the target. I do like the hot body part, but I think
'wise head' sounds strange...
BODYATTACK (That burning sensation
in your legs is called Mediocrity.) I've only tried an ATTACK
class once. I didn't think there was anything mediocre about the
burning in my legs!!! So I think this one must be more of an
inside joke for people who are super-fit and ATTACK-ready.
Otherwise, the slogan would be suggesting that the burn you get from
ATTACK is mediocre in comparison to other intense cardio
workouts. ATTACK, like FLOW, is another program who's name alone
doesn't tell you much about the program. The first time I heard
the word BODYATTACK, I thought it must be a martial arts-based program
because of the the word 'attack." Of course, after I tried the
class, the name made perfect sense!
BODYPUMP (Get the kind of
legs shorts want to wear.) There's no doubt that PUMP sculpts
your legs, but what disappoints me about this one (even more than the
fact that the picture on the poster is an upper body shot, no legs
shown) is that EVERY Les Mills program works the legs. One of
PUMP's greatest selling points is that it's a full body workout that
delivers fast results above the belt, too. I don't dislike the slogan,
but I think it would have made more sense to apply it to a cardio
class.
BODYJAM's new slogan is by far one of the most bizarre bits of
marketing I've ever seen. "It's like the Spanish Inquisition with
a Hip Hop Soundtrack." According to my husband, listening to Hip
Hop music is worse torture than anything used during the Spanish
Inquisition. But all jokes aside, I do think this one pushes the
envelope of good taste. Also, I'm not sure what the point
is. Is BODYJAM comparable to torture? (at least if you're not
Catholic?) Is BODYJAM a Hip Hop program? The slogan doesn't
tell me anything at all about the essence of BOYJAM. I do have to
point one thing out: we're certainly talking about it. And if we're
talking about it here, It's a safe bet that most people who see the
poster will be talking about it, too. Will people be curious
enough to stop talking about it and try out a class? Will there
be any unforseen consequences, such as a very angry letter from Spain's
Tourism Council? Only time will tell...
Ready...Set...FLOW!
Leslie L. Bull