Josefina Santambrogio (F7143857)

TMA 02

PART I

GYMSHARK NEW SLOUNGE RANGE MARKETING

COMMUNICATION REPORT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides a strategic marketing campaign to elevate and improve the sales of Gymshark
by launching the new Slounge collection designed for its customer’s comfy rest days.
The information provided in this report analyses and describes the details of the new product range
and who it is aimed at by identifying the characteristics of its potential target market. It also
categorises different communication tools that can be used to effectively reach the customers that
are going to buy this range.

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CONTENTS

1. Analysis. 4

1.1 The product offering.

1.2 Potential customers.
1.3 Communication tools.

2. Conclusions.

3. Recommendations.

4. References.

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1. ANALYSIS
1.1 The product offering.

Gymshark is a fitness apparel & accessories (water bottles, towels, etc.) brand, manufacturer and
retailer based in the United Kingdom, supported by over 5.2 million social media followers and
customers in over 100 countries (Gymshark 2012). Created in 2012, Gymshark has become one of
the fastest growing and most recognisable brands in fitness. Gymshark provides a wide range of
apparel for the hardest weight sessions or the most exhausting HIIT workouts. With this new
product range, it aims to fulfil the customer’s rest day outfit needs by supplying them with the
comfiest and most versatile items of clothing. The Slounge is perfect for both chilling at home or to
achieve cool streetwear vibes. This range composed by super soft leggings, crop tops and hoodies is
made from a high quality lightweight stretchy ribbed knit fabric that comes in three colours: Light
Grey, Deep Plum and Taupe. The high-waisted leggings are designed to hug the body’s contour but
providing a relaxed fit; the hoodie features an oversized hood and thumbholes and the sleeveless
crop top has a high neck and flattering curved hem. The prices are £22 crop tops, £28 leggings and
£32 hoodies.

1.2 Potential customers.

The potential customer that this range is aimed at is working women ranging 18-27 years old with an
interest in fitness, fashion and music and with the intent of wearing this athleisure garments to run
the errands or brunch for example. The main target market is fitness enthusiasts millennials that
keep a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

The customer will look around for different brands and alternatives and will evaluate them in terms
of functionality and psychological benefits before moving onto a purchase decision. Based on the
criteria of what they need will realise that Gymshark is one of the best options available due to its
growing success, affordable prices and great customer relations achieved by listening to customer’s
feedback and also by offering the best quality products which makes Gymshark a very reliable brand.
A potential new customer can be influenced by a friend or family member who already purchased
from Gymshark, their feedback is a credible resource. The customer motivation to shop at Gymshark
is their innovative and minimalistic designs that make it perfect for the gym but effortlessly
fashionable at the same time, a look that not all brands can easily achieve. Consumer satisfaction is a
key element to guarantee a customer will return so offering different options to make sure they are
satisfied with their choice is very important, as well as cash back guarantees. However, once a
customer buys a Gymshark item, they will definitely come back for more thanks to the quality,
efficiency and durability of the product; probably purchasing every two/three months or whenever
there is a sale or new product launch.

1.3 Communication tools.

In order to effectively introduce and generate awareness of the new product launch, Gymshark will
use a combination of communication tools such as print and advertising promotions, digital
communications, an event launch and the most important and powerful of them all: social media,
which will play a key role to promote the new product launch as target audience are constantly on
their smartphones. The objectives of this marketing campaign are to increase recognition of the
brand and reinforce its values whilst promoting the new range. Gymshark will convey a clear
message by using its most influential tool which is the Gymshark athletes and their social media
accounts such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. All athletes will post information about the new

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release, sneak peeks and will be seen wearing the new collection which will make potential
customers want to purchase those items as it is endorsed by them helping increase awareness, trust
and familiarity. Previous customers will receive emails notifying them of the new launch with a
personalised aesthetically appealing invitation and new customers will be able to see all information
on the website through pop-ups, banners and videos; or Gymshark’s media accounts as well as
athletes’ accounts, if followed. The website will feature a live countdown to create enthusiasm for
the new launch and will also keep featuring visuals to promote the existing lines. As mentioned,
Gymshark has a huge number of followers on Instagram so keeping them engaged with the
progression of the new release is very likely to attract interest. There will also be an event launch at
one of the main stores and most of the athletes will be there so people can meet them, take photos
and talk to them whilst shopping. Even though the new release is only for women, bringing the
athletes into the store will make males to come in as they will want to meet their idols too which will
definitely push extra sales. Another important tool is geo-targeting which generates personalised
content based on regional location using a person’s IP address which makes advertising to be
completely based on their current location. Therefore, people near the event launch at the store
would be visible to such advertising promoting the event launch. This will be combined with
Gymshark’s existing marketing strategy so that customers are directed to the website, only if visible
on websites the potential customers use on a daily basis. This will catch people’s attention and
generate interest (AIDA model). On the release date, sales promotions can be offered on old ranges
or even on the new products to increase the customer’s interest and promote sales.

All of these communication strategies above mentioned will converge to portray a strong clear
brand message towards the target market. These tools have been chosen because, as mentioned,
people are constantly on their smartphones and tablets nowadays. Statistics gathered by the ONS
highlighted that 73% of the UK population accessed the internet on a daily basis in 2013 with the 16-
24 segment being proportionally the largest users (ONS – Internet Access, 2013).

Some other way of communication tools such as radio or television could be considered however,
they might not be as efficient as radio for example is audio only and television even though it can
reach a wider audience, it is too expensive with little guarantee the customer will see the advert.
Guerrilla marketing is also a possibility but flooding the city with the Gymshark logo, posters, flyers
and stickers on walls, buildings, bins, etc. is very time consuming.

2. CONCLUSIONS
This report offers an insight to the strategic marketing campaign and communication tools used to
promote the new Gymshark Slounge collection in order to improve sales. It also describes the main
features of the range and the targeted audience that is likely to purchase it. Gymshark is a fitness
retail brand that has a very clear target consumer and knows how to send the message across by
using its main communication tool which is its social media accounts. It is very clear to see that the
launch of the new product will be a success.

3. RECOMMENDATIONS

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It is recommended:

- To consider reaching out to customers out of the 18-27 age range by launching more
suitable products.
- To consider expanding accessories by introducing yoga mats and stretch bands.
- To consider a wider range of colours or top styles rather than just a crop top.
- To consider pros and cons of other communication tools such as television.

4. REFERENCES
Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2011) An introduction to retail management and marketing Book 3 Retail
Marketing, The Open University

https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1240327

Gymshark 2018, About Us, viewed 25 June 2018, https://uk.gymshark.com/pages/about-us

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinterneta
ndsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2013-08-08

PART II

During this block I have learned how marketing and retailing are connected between each other. I
found very interesting the way brands use so many different tools (e.g. promotions, media, etc) to
communicate and catch the customers’ attention and for this they have to have a very clear strategy
in order to get that message across. It is also interesting how customers react to certain things and
what makes them decide whether to purchase a product or not. I never really thought about such
small details, but I am definitely now.
In regard to the ‘’Your favourite brand’’ activity, I enjoyed reading everyone’s posts as it is quite
interesting to see what people look for in a brand and expect of a product as we all have different
interests and opinions.

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