TRX is the fitness industry’s leader in Functional Training gear, programming and education. My role included responsibility for leading the brand’s global marketing (digital, social, PR, content, product and channel marketing) and creative (design, copy and video) teams. Oversaw the investment of a $5 million marketing budget to drive a $50 million commercial business. Led a team of 10 marketers, designers and videographers to create and produce all marketing related materials and programs (sampled below).
Invented by a Navy SEAL while on deployment, the TRX Suspension Trainer helped keep him and his team conditioned as elite tactical athletes. Today, TRX Straps are used in thousands of clubs, gyms, studios all over the world and considered one of the most effective and efficient tools to develop and maintain functional fitness.
As the TRX's growth strategy shifted to consumers (vs. fitness professionals), the brand's messaging needed simplification. Partnering with an outside agency (Bruce Mau Design), our planning started with brand's big idea, Move Better and promise, Empowering Your Pursuit of Better. 'Move Better' is the simplest definition and benefit of functional fitness - perfecting the movements your body does everyday and giving you a better foundation for movement, exercise, fitness and ultimately performance.
BRAND CAMPAIGN // The consumer campaign focused on better movement as an endless journey, not a destination. The core message was always push, chase, reach for better. It's no longer about working out to get ‘good’, then harder to get ‘better’ and ultimately become your ‘best’ and done. We’re never done with better. Better doesn’t have a finish line. With TRX, you get 'good' by giving your 'best', and everyday you Earn Your Better. Fundamentally, TRX is about helping you move better through sport and life. If you move better, you can train better. If you train better, you perform better. No matter your thing – a sport, activity or lifestyle, TRX will help you Discover Your Better.
Over the years, TRX's imagery, visuals and messaging varied widely. At times, it was gritty and dire or superhuman, others would be all-smiles and chipper. The visual identity needed greater consistency and continuity - environments, models, angles, exercises, composition, etc. Above you'll see the initial image library for the new campaign.
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In early 2015, the TRX 'Better' campaign kicked off with a series of brand film spots release through earned and paid social media. The imagery and voice over centered around the understanding that we all have our thing, our passion, our pursuit. TRX is the means to going longer, harder, faster and stay durable so you can wake up everyday and continue that pursuit.
DIGITAL MARKETING // For this campaign, we shifted our media dollars from the historic print spend into a broad variety of digital executions, including; display, rich media, social media and retargeting ad spend. We tracked metrics so we could understand the spend's attribution to acquisition and sell throughs. Above is a sampling of our initial display ads.
SOCIAL MEDIA // A key component of the 'Better' Campaign was to leverage original content and social media (both paid and organic) to connect with new consumers. The gym rats knew us well, but the non-gym goers, those into running, yoga, fitness, swimming, cycling, etc. ? For each of these audiences we created and produced target specific content that would explain and romance how TRX would complement their activity. Brand engagement and new user traffic consistently performed well with this content marketing strategy.
PACKAGING // In 2015, TRX expanded into Big Box retail, however the product packaging was not designed for retail. Early performance at retail validated that the packaging needed to work harder to tell the product story. Beyond the three types of suspension trainers in the market, TRX was also developing additional skus. A packaging system was needed to link all the products and clearly present their unique propositions. Above is the updated TRX product packaging system.
TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS // Above you see how the new brand campaign came to life in a Trade Show execution. IHRSA (the above show) is the industry's marque event for equipment manufactures. Our objective for the TRX Experience was to show gyms how the TRX experience could come to life for their members. The integration of workout areas, meeting spaces, product demo zones, retail shop and video was the most impactful statement TRX had made in its 10 years at the show.