An Important 2012 Trend | Point, Know & Buy

Point, Know & Buy 2012 - An Important Fitness Industry Trend

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In January of 2012, with the help of trendwatching's research, I released a FREE report, 12 Interesting Trends Health Club and Fitness Leaders and Brands Should Keep Their Eyes On . Today, I'm sharing a follow on 20 page report titled, Point, Know & Buy 2012, An Important Trend Health Club And Fitness Industry Trend. This report addresses how Smartphone technology, applications and changing consumers are converging to impact how brands interact and how commerce can be conducted in a new world of possibilities. Point, Know and Buy is one of the 12 trends I shared in my prior report. Here is an excerpt:

Health clubs & fitness brands are not immune from these trends. Some will have the vision to seize the opportunities provided while others will ignore them at their own peril. The possibilities are only limited by one’s imagination, and there are no clear cut answers.

In addition to great examples of emerging technologies the report also includes several videos of those technologies. You'll think some of it is science fiction, and its not. The Point, Know and Buy trend is a tremendous sea change that leaders need to pay close attention to. I'm working with several brands and startups who are targeting this opportunity with new applications and potential business models. It is very interesting and exciting. Many thanks to my colleague and friend Michael Scott Scudder for his quote in the introduction of the report. He continues to help me learn and understand the business and industry and I am grateful for that.

So tell me Bryan O'Rourke, what can you imagine will emerge in the health club and fitness industry to respond to the Point, Know and Buy trend ? I'd love to hear your thoughts about the overview and videos.

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, and shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He consults with global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank is Chair of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee, is President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council and a partner in Fitmarc, Integerus, Fitsomo and the Flywheel Group. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

Fitness Marketing - Why Are So Many Brands Missing Out ?

Its that time of year again, when CEO's, marketing heads, product development and sales people among others are all finalizing their goals for 2012. I'm lucky because I get to listen to many plans and learn about the thinking going on behind them. Its fun, but I'll let you in on a little secret: many if not most of the brand leaders in the fitness business are still operating with a largely decade old mindset. Because of this they're missing out, spending too much on what doesn't matter any more and not pursuing what does. As an example, when I ask, "can you tell me how many people discuss your brand on twitter" the answer is most often "no", or at least I get a puzzled look in response. That's only the beginning....

So why is this the state of business, and in particular marketing, in the fitness and health club industry ? I'm not certain, but I'd hypothesize that it has to do with the industry being largely insular . Most of the leadership has been in the same game for a long time, so when it comes to the change that is happening with consumers, marketing, operations and technology, few at the top in the health club or fitness business are embracing a fresh perspectives. I'm certain, however, that is not going to last.

STOP INTERRUPTING WHAT PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN: BE WHAT PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN

What is most obvious is how so many organizations think they know what customers want, basing that on long ago worn out thinking that has little relevance today. This greatly influences how marketing is conducted, hence the picture above. So I wanted to share some very important trends for people to keep in mind, no matter what industry they are in, but in particular in the health club and fitness industry. My message to brands is that they best start reorienting themselves to new consumer paradigms or face extinction. Tell me what you think about the embedded slide show below on transforming your marketing. It includes a variety of very important consumer centric trends that every brand needs to keep in mind as they think about their future. I hope its useful. Do you think its relevant to the fitness industry ? I'd like to know.

Transform Your Marketing

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, strategist, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness and health club companies. He consults with numerous global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank is Chair of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee and a partner in the Flywheel Group , Fitmarc and Integerus. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

The New Enterprise Requires A Progressive Technology Platform

Believe me, all industries and institutions, and in particular the health club, fitness and wellness business, are going through tremendous change, whether one wants to admit to it or not. History tells us that transformative times are met in two ways: as an exciting opportunity for advancement or as a threatening force to the status quo. What people think about change is usually aligned with how much they benefit from the way things are not the way they could be.

When I say that the fitness, wellness and health club industry is wrestling with "Digital Darwinism" "the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than our ability to adapt", I'm addressing that pull between the future and the past and today I think a lot of that tension lies in misunderstandings around technology. With obesity so rampant and preventable chronic illnesses so pervasive, our modus operandi must change to achieve a brighter future . Achieving this future requires doing things in very different ways . Understanding how to recreate the enterprise around technology platforms is a major part of what needs to happen to make things better.

Other progressive industries are changing the way things are done and learning from them is a good means of exploring the path to this future I refer to. Watch the brief clip below with Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, who is creating the ultimate Social Enterprise using salesforce.com, incorporating social and mobile elements across the entire organization, and connecting with employees and customers in a whole new way. Your business is your customer experience and platforms enable organizations to deliver on that experience. As Angela summarizes to CEO's who remain skeptical , that failing to adopt her approach she doesn't know where business models would be in 5 years. She's right . As the historian and author Daniel Boorstin said, the greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge. We have a lot to learn but its there for those who want to find out how. Watch !

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, and shareholder and executive in several fitness and health club companies. He consults with numerous global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank is Chair of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee and a partner in the Flywheel Group - an expert in salesforce.com development and implementation. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

The Fitness Industry - Doing Something That Matters In New Ways

The Fitness and Health Club Industry is changing . New economic models are emerging that create questions for the future of upcoming fitness professionals to be able to make a living. While forecasts indicate increased demand for fitness professionals, turnover rates for personal trainers, group fitness professionals and others in the traditional health club industry are very high. Many of these professionals have a deep commitment to helping others and doing something that matters, but it can be very difficult with the low pay they make. 

The good news is that technology and a changing and digital culture are creating ways for people to work in fitness, doing something that matters like improving the health and well being of those around them, in a more sustainable way. One example, and there are many, is my friend and colleague Jared Meacham . He has created a training business model that helps clients by using new technologies. There are many more like him and they are quietly changing the face of the fitness industry and creating a new future of possbilities.

Are you a fitness professional who is evaluating your options and wondering how you can fulfill your passion by helping others in new ways ? In the book Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from such other innovative organizations as method, charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming your own life and business, from discovering your core story to being resourceful without resources; from overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change you’re considering, Start Something That Matters gives you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help you get started. Check out the video below. 

Making things better starts with changing your mindset; thinking differently. Tell me, Bryan O'Rourke, do you have a story of a fitness professional who is doing things that matter by adopting new methods ? I think this is the tip of the iceburg of change for professionals. What do you think ?

About the author Bryan O’Rourke:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness and health club business service companies. He is also a partner in The Health Club For Women and Chairman of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

The Health Club Industry & Our Digital Culture - 2040

I'm always thinking about technology and the future, particularly as it relates to the health club and fitness industries. In light of this I was watching the latest Brian Solis interview (included below); this time of John Battelle. John's upcoming book, What We Hath Wrought, is titled based on the first words sent over American telegraph wires by Samuel Morse in May of 1844. Upon opening an experimental telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington, Morse decided to send a Biblical quote: "What Hath God Wrought." (a tweetable phrase no less). Morse, an artist by trade, was attempting to describe, in as few words as possible, the huge potential and magnitude of the moment. If he only knew, it opened a new world of communication. Fast forward to today and the questions that I ask, that John Battelle and Brian Solis asks is this: what is really happening with technology today ? What is the good and bad in our culture, businesses and lives that technology has brought ? More importantly, what is going to happen in the future as a result ? From semantic search to the potential for multiple online personalities and more, the questions are interesting, profound and I suggest you watch the exchanges between these two intellectuals as they explore the next 29 years.

Tell me, Bryan O'Rourke, what do you think about technology, its implications to the health club and fitness industries and what do you think will come of it ? Our future will be vastly different from today and our past. Don't you agree ?

About the author Bryan O’Rourke:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness and health club business service companies. He is also a partner in The Health Club For Women and Chairman of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee. To learn more contact Bryan here today .