One of the greatest challenges for a new facility may be establishing a strong membership base. But a strong promotional campaign at Health First Pro-Health & Fitness Center laid its worries to rest.
With an opening date of February 1, 1998, Health First kicked off a membership campaign on December 15, 1997. The $74,000 comprehensive campaign included brochures, c, a billboard, radio and print advertising, movie theater advertising, a VIP event and a community open house.
The center had three goals when it created the campaign: to support the company’s mission of providing wellness programming and education to the local community, to create a membership base that would meet the operating budget, and to promote the Healthplex concept of one-stop wellness shopping (fitness center, physician offices, and rehabilitation and diagnostic services).
The center’s program started with advertising that was intended to create excitement about the new facility. It included the slogan, “There’s some healthy excitement coming to Merritt Island.” Follow-up advertising was used solely to create a membership base. The print and radio campaigns were built around the holiday season and the idea that once holiday eating was over, people would need the new Pro-Health & Fitness Center to get back in shape.
The facility opened its doors with 1,134 members. By the end of six months, 6,392 people had joined the center, generating 25,000 visits each month. This number exceeded the visits at the company’s sister facility by 1,000. By the end of the six-month period, the center’s memberships and revenue had exceeded its two-year projections. What’s more, diagnostic, physician and rehabilitation visits had also exceeded expected numbers. These numbers put the center in the top 2 to 3 percent of the country for memberships at a hospital-based fitness center.
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