San Diego running clubs become magnet for wellness brands
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Pumping up the crowd about protein bars. Photo: Courtesy of Michael Chernow
The growing popularity of running clubs and group fitness classes is signaling dollar signs for popular wellness brands.
The big picture: Companies selling athletic clothes, shoes and even food are planning sponsored events with San Diego influencers, with the hopes that people will turn out and share their products on social media.
- Attracting mega influencers with big followings takes guerrilla marketing to a whole new level.
Case in point: When celebrity chef and entrepreneur Michael Chernow wanted to market his new Kreatures of Habit protein bar, he turned to PB Run Club.
- The club ended up hosting a joint event last month where people could try the bars before their usual 3-mile run.
More than 300 people came, Chernow told Axios, but the reach went far beyond that.
- "Everybody was using the socials," he said. "Publishing and tagging and collaborating, it's definitely a big social media event."
So many brands are working with influencers now that hosting an event can be a way to try to cut through the noise, he said.
- PB Run Club has a huge social media following, so joining with them helped build exposure beyond just the runners who were physically there, he said.
- Chernow also rented a 30-foot-long RV decorated like a giant protein bar driving down the street to gain further brand awareness.
Between the lines: High-end athletic wear companies also host group fitness events with influencers to expand their social spread.
- Vuori runs an ongoing "ACTV Studio IRL" series where people come to its stores for fitness classes.
- LSKD hosts group runs and fitness classes at its Pacific Beach store.
- And last month, Lululemon hosted a sculpt yoga class with brand ambassador Megan Roup on the beach in Coronado.
💠Claire's thought bubble: I was invited to check out the Lululemon class, but organizers asked that I wear their brand's yoga gear. I don't have any, and they said they'd gift me some, even asking my size and color preference.
- That's against Axios policy, so I remain unsculpted.
Reality check: While online algorithms are the place to reach consumers these days, it's hard to track from the outside exactly how big a reach these events have on social media, or if they're really spreading brand awareness to thousands of followers.
- Collaborative posts between PB Run Club, Chernow and Kreatures of Habit received about 800 likes on social media.
- And Roup's Coronado post got 26,000 likes.
But it's not just about the likes, Chernow said. It's also about doing something different to reach people.
- "We weren't necessarily looking for run clubs with the most numbers, although that's great," he said. "Really, what we wanted to do was just connect."