ATN spoke with Crunch’s chief advertising and marketing officer concerning the deliberate technique behind the health franchisor’s unconventional advert campaigns
A brand new advertising and marketing technique by Crunch Health is making health fanatics erupt with laughter, which might really burn energy — an efficient option to jump-start a well being and health routine on the ‘No Judgement Gymnasium.’
On the helm of the New York-based health club franchise’s advertising and marketing division is Chad Waetzig, who’s ever-mindful of selling well being and health whereas additionally contemplating the woes of recent occasions.
“With the overall worries many shoppers have proper now – with election season ramping up, uncertainty round rates of interest, and armed conflicts persevering with around the globe – many individuals are feeling the load of the world on their shoulders,” mentioned Waetzig, chief advertising and marketing officer. “But we consider that everybody desires to really feel good. Crunch is there that will help you really feel your greatest by health from the second you step by our doorways.”
Discovering humorous methods to market health isn’t any small feat, particularly in an trade that may be intimidating to newcomers or these returning. NBC’s “Saturday Evening Stay” just lately poked enjoyable at simply that — in a skit highlighting the daunting, mysterious vibes of Pilates studios and the trepidation it could evoke in new shoppers.
Waetzig and the Crunch advertising and marketing crew intention to strike a stability between showcasing Crunch’s inclusive ethos and the advantages of a exercise at considered one of its 450-plus gyms or on Crunch+, the health model’s on-demand platform, whereas concurrently garnering laughs.
“‘No Judgments’ is core to our tradition and values,” Waetzig mentioned. “It means we’ve got room for everybody, no matter form, measurement, age, race, gender or health degree. The partaking commercials use humor to focus on how members can ‘really feel good’ and discover that reprieve from life’s inevitable dangerous moments.”
Crunch’s ‘Really feel Good, Not Dangerous’ marketing campaign first launched in December, reminding health shoppers {that a} exercise at Crunch is manner higher than a snake chew or getting caught in a revolving door. The health model’s newest spot, which will be considered right here, presents a humorous tackle “feeling caught” and presents an antidote: a Crunch exercise.
Though Crunch intends for its marketing campaign advertisements to resonate and entertain health fanatics of all generations, there’s a particular viewers in thoughts for the model’s advertising and marketing creations that focus on what Waetzig calls the “younger, sturdy and social.”
“Members of this group are usually adults 18-34, the place social media and reference to others are a part of their cultural cloth,” he defined. “They see health as a supply of psychological and bodily energy.”
Crunch’s newest advertisements are witty, social-media-ready and crafted to go viral. Maybe the very best instance is the health franchisor’s hilarious advert for ‘Thoga.’ Aligned with April Idiot’s Day, the prank promo advertises a yoga class on Crunch+ for thumbs overworked as a result of continual scrolling and texting.

Utilizing the advert to focus on Crunch+, which was reinvented from 2013’s Crunch Stay launch and re-introduced in 2023, reminds health shoppers of Crunch’s different handy choices.
“With Crunch+, we’ve cracked the code behind the hybrid exercise development – extending the Crunch expertise past the 4 partitions of our gyms whereas enabling Crunch-led exercises at house, on the street or as a instrument to make use of within the health club itself,” Waetzig mentioned.
Shoppers can count on to see Crunch’s comedic and ‘Really feel Good’ strategy to health all year long, particularly contemplating that 94% of Gen Z and millennials favor manufacturers with a humorous vibe.
“We’ll proceed to attach with current and potential members by irreverent, offbeat humor,” Waetzig assured. “These traits align with our model’s identification, and we consider they assist us break by the litter and drive shopper comprehension of our model and model expertise.”
Now in its thirty fifth yr, the high-value, low-price (HVLP) health operator has a lot to rejoice because it continues to scale and preserve shoppers engaged, motivated and uplifted. Crunch expects to hit the 500-gym mark and attain three million members, quickly in line with Waetzig. The model just lately welcomed Chequan Lewis, a former Pizza Hut exec, as its president to drive franchise progress.
“Crunch is uniquely positioned for unprecedented progress,” Waetzig mentioned. “We’ve been crushing it when it comes to enlargement.”
He additionally pointed to Crunch’s embrace of expertise, as seen with its Amazon One partnership, and its growing deal with restoration, as key causes the health club franchise will proceed to develop.
“For a lot of health fanatics, restoration will turn into a elementary part of their health routine,” Waetzig predicts. “We’re committing time and sources to growing an much more sturdy ‘Loosen up & Restoration’ program in golf equipment to fulfill this rising want, and restoration will play a extra important half in our advertising and marketing plans as consciousness and demand for it enhance amongst shoppers.”