A couple of years ago, on my way to our office I noticed a new "place" opening with Hrithik Roshan coming to inaugurate. It was painted in black and I did not really comprehend what the place was.
Fast forward 3 year hence, I see a whole lot of people across age-groups signing up to this place called Cult Fitness. How come? What did they do that was so unique to get a whole generation of gym-goers and non-gym goers signing up.
When I looked closer, it was clear that Cult Fitness was a prime example of a successful blue ocean that addressed the following common issues face by both existing gym-goers and those that actively refused the standard gym
Monotony: Personally, I have always considered the gym a monotonous and rather boring way to exercise and I am positive that many of us also feel this way. With just weights and cardio machines, there has traditionally been a lack of variety in traditional gyms. Cult Fitness, however, diversified and created a range of classes that they hold to target a wide variety of customers and non-customers. From mild yoga to intense HIIT and weight-training, they created a high level of flexibility by allowing their customers to sign up to any class at their own convenience.
Time limit: Traditionally, most gyms have a limit on the amount of time you can spend to an hour per day. Cult Fitness eliminated this and has allowed their customers to sign up to as many fitness sessions as they would like provided they have the stamina! This has created an opportunity for avid fitness enthusiasts to spend as much time as they would like in the gym.
Trainer: Personal trainers have always been a premium offering for a majority of gyms. With a steep price, many customers refuse to sign up for this and non-customers who would like to go to the gym but have no knowledge of what exercises to do find this an extremely expensive option. Hence, they prefer to do activities either in the comfort of their own home or not at all. Cult Fitness however changed this. They raised the value of all their classes by adding a personal trainer to every session.
Solo Activity: I personally prefer a game of badminton instead of running on a treadmill. Gyms are often an individual-based activity that requires a tremendous amount of motivation to continue to turn up every day – rain or shine! Cult Fitness looked at this as a major pain point for non-customers and instead offer only group classes. This created a more enjoyable experience for non-customers where they can interact with other participants and also created an intrinsic sense of motivation from each other.
Ecosystem:Cult Fitness doesn’t just focus on being a ‘gym’. Their offering expands far beyond the traditional gym and focuses on creating a community, or an ecosystem if you will, that includes not only exercise classes but also food, technology as well as readily available tips and advice for all their customers.
Equipment: Cult Fitness removed the intimidation of equipment by reducing the reliance on equipment for group exercise classes. This has made classes a more accessible and easy to attend experience for most non-customers.
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A version of this article was first published on LinkedIN by the same author @ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/blue-ocean-cult-thilak-iyer/
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