Marketing lessons from the gym

Today, as most days, I was working out at the gym and observing those around me (the gym can get very boring).  There were some people working up quite a sweat, and there were those that were barely working. Some were older, some were younger. In short, there were all types. But three stood out to me:

The multi-tasker: Today, the multi-tasker was a woman using one of the ellipticals while responding to email and/or texts on her smart phone. She was so engaged with her phone that her legs were barely moving. Was she there to exercise or was she there to deal with work?

• The lesson: If you are distracted from your goal, you won’t get there. In marketing, you could be trying to do too many things at once and not succeeding in any of them.

The repeater: The repeater is the person who does the exact same exercise, at the same level of intensity, on the same machine. Always. In this case, I have seen this woman “run” at a very slow pace on the exact same machine, at the same time every single day. And guess what–her body is not changing (she is not even breaking a sweat).

• The lesson: If you do the same thing over and over without change you won’t be effective or see any change. For instance, some companies have always used a full page ad in the Sunday newspaper. And they have been doing that for years. It may produce some results but it will not expand your reach.

The guy wearing jeans at the gym: Have you seen these guys? They come in to the gym in their jeans (usually with belts too) and sometimes, with street shoes instead of sneakers. How are you going to run in jeans?

• The lesson: You have to dress appropriately for the occasion/venue. In marketing terms: you have to know what marketing vehicle is the right one for what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to target seniors, perhaps a spot on the evening news is the best way to go.

Have you seen these people at your gym?