ClickZ Sports Equipment - 09.19.2024

PLUS: 'Leave The Cult, Join The Club' - Virgin Active Calls For Real Wellness Over Digital Fads

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ClickZ
September 19, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Specialty Bites 🍪

Nike is scaling down its annual Just Do It Day due to its Olympic commitments. Instead, it will host smaller team events and sports watch parties. This change comes amid financial challenges and increased competition. Nike aims to save costs and streamline operations while keeping employees engaged globally.

Virgin Active is making waves in the wellness industry with its bold new campaign, "Leave the Cult, Join the Club," created by We Are Pi. This playful initiative takes a stand against fitness influencers and questionable online health trends, highlighting the difference between real wellness and the noise of the digital world.

The campaign's central 50-second video, set to a remixed "Ode to Joy," humorously calls out these trends, with Virgin Active positioning its gyms as the place for authentic fitness and wellbeing.

Gabi Mostert, Virgin Active's group creative director, emphasizes the campaign's intent to challenge current wellness industry norms, inviting people to focus on genuine self-care, whether that means enjoying a smoothie or relaxing in the sauna. "We're sick of it too," she states, encouraging people to trust their own bodies over the latest fads.

The campaign will be rolled out across TV, online, and outdoor platforms in the UK, Italy, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, with a second wave planned for January 2025.

NEXT has partnered with Fabletics to exclusively stock its core activewear range online. This marks Fabletics' first third-party stockist, expanding its reach. NEXT aims to boost profits and rival competitors by enhancing its third-party offerings, benefiting from Fabletics' innovative, high-quality products.

Image: Shutterstock

Athletic wear brand Lolë has acquired Louis Garneau Sports, including its brands Garneau, Sugoi, and Sombrio. This strategic move aims to diversify Lol's product range and enhance its market position. The acquisition is effective immediately, with both companies ensuring a smooth transition. Financial terms remain undisclosed.

Rogue Fitness is developing the Echo RowErg, a new rower hinted at by co-founder Caity Matter Henniger on Instagram. The rower features heavy-duty steel and resembles the Concept 2 Rower. While details are scarce, it may debut at the 2024 Rogue Invitational, continuing Rogue's innovation in fitness equipment.

Performance Platters 🍽️

Fospha's latest report, "The State of E-Commerce H2 2024", reveals crucial trends that will shape your marketing strategy. What's inside:

  • 📱 How the major platforms' KPIs have trended in 2024, and where you should be investing. 

  • 🚀 How to access Paid Social's huge scaling potential. 

  • ✨ The most effective Google channel of 2024.

  • 🎯 Full-funnel strategies for Meta, TikTok and Snapchat

Let's break down the platform-specific insights: 

  • TikTok: Emerging as a powerhouse for efficient new customer acquisition 

  • Meta: Maintaining strong performance with competitive CAC 

  • Snapchat: Experiencing rapid growth, particularly effective during peak shopping periods 

"These findings underscore how impactful platforms like Meta, TikTok and Snapchat continue to be for driving sales - yet how underinvested they remain. It's incredible to see that brands can triple spend in Paid Social before becoming unprofitable. Success now lies in diversifying across the entire funnel, understanding the nuances of each platform, and continuously optimizing to unlock more scaling potential." 

Jamie Bolton, VP Growth at Fospha

WPP and Coca-Cola topped the 2024 Cannes Lions creative charts, with Coca-Cola winning 17 awards. WPP was named Creative Company of the Year. Heineken and Apple followed in the rankings. The United States was the most creative country. The LIONS Creativity Report highlights impactful creativity driving growth.

Shopify partners with Roblox to integrate in-game shopping, allowing brands to sell physical items directly within the game. This collaboration targets Roblox's 80 million daily users, with a full launch in 2025. Shopify's president highlights the endless possibilities, emphasizing the future of immersive commerce in the digital world.

Ad spend in 2024 is set to rise, driven by retail media, value-based messaging, political ads, and CTV monetization. The IAB projects an 11.8% increase, with retail media leading due to high CPG and beauty spend. AI in search could further boost Q4 advertising.

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