Hi again!

In this post I am going to talk a little bit about consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is “the actions a person takes in purchasing and using products and services.” One aspect of consumer behavior that interests me is habit formation, and specifically brand loyalty.

The textbook describes brand loyalty as “a favorable attitude toward and consistent purchase of a single brand over time.” They’ve purchased the product or service before, they know that they like it, and therefore they have no problem purchasing it again.

Image from http://cdn2.hubspot.net/

Seems simple, right?

Image from www.sweatandrepeat.com

This all interests me because, as an avid fitness-class-goer, brand loyalty is something that I see all. the. time. Many of the fitness studios that I have been to utilize brand loyalty as one of their main marketing goals by creating an exceptional community out of their brand. The target market of their consumers share many of the same key traits and needs. They like to workout and want a consistent and communal workout environment to be a part of. They are in the perfect position to be motivated to become a recurring consumer.


I am going to talk about one of my all time favorite studios, Pure Barre, and about some of the marketing strategies that I have seen them do that definitely attract a loyal consumer base.

Image from @purebarreburlingtonvt on Instagram

Pure barre is a barre studio, and conveniently for me there is a franchise located right in South Burlington, Vermont just 15 minutes down the road from Saint Michael’s. (For those of you who don’t know, Pure Barre is a 55 minute full-body workout taught to the beat of music focusing on low-impact movements, combining strength training and stretching.)

This past summer they ran a Pure Olympics competition. This involved getting into a group with 4 other members from the studio and competing against other groups to see who can attend the most classes, purchase the most retail, tag the studio in social media posts, and refer new clients. It was actually extremely effective as Pure Barre goers are one of the most loyal consumer bases I have ever been a part of. I always see the same faces in all of the classes that I attend.

Image from @purebarreburlingtonvt on Instagram

Pure Barre turns their studio into a community by having group competitions such as Pure Olympics, as well as by rewarding consumers for reaching 100 and 250 class milestones and offering unlimited month-to-month packages. Another thing that I have noticed is that instructors at Pure Barre make it a point to memorize the name of every single consumer who attends their classes. I think that this is another excellent tactic that keeps consumers coming back. It makes them feel as though they are a part of the group and definitely adds to their brand loyalty!

I’ll leave you guys with this video about what makes Pure Barre so special!

Sources:
Marketing: The Core, Sixth Edition, Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2016
http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/290909/file-541344501-jpg/images/BrandLoyalty.jpg
https://sweatandrepeat.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/pure-barre-platform-class-highres-0461.jpg
www.instagram.com/purebarreburlingtonvt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-BcCnl94PY

Hi everyone! I’m Marisa and this is going to be a semester-long blog about my marketing course. I am currently a senior at St. Michael’s College studying media, journalism, and digital art, with a minor in business administration. My goal after graduation is to pursue a career in marketing, so I am very excited to learn more about the field during this course.

I was able to get a taste of the marketing world this summer by being the social media marketing intern at Prenatal Method Studio, a prenatal/postnatal yoga studio in Burlington, Vermont.

Chapter one of our textbook defines marketing as “the activity for creating and delivering offerings that benefit the organization, its stakeholders, and society.” Though the definition may seem simple, marketing is a very complex process. The textbook continues to lay out the four factors that are required for marketing to occur:

1 - Two or more parties with unsatisfied needs

2 - A desire and ability on their part to have their needs satisfied

3 - A way for the parties to communicate

4 - Something to exchange

Using Prenatal Method Studio as an example to further clarify these four factors, two parties with unsatisfied needs would be local pregnant women looking for a healthy workout regime, and the studio owner who is looking for people to teach yoga classes to. Both the women and the studio owner want to satisfy these needs. The women have money to purchase classes and the means to travel to the local studio. The studio owner has the desire to sell classes as well as the ability and knowledge to teach them.

Image by Marisa Gehrig

For the marketing transaction to occur, both the women and the studio owner need to know that each other exist. Prenatal Method Studio breaks the communication barrier by promoting on Facebook and boosting their posts within the Burlington, Vermont area, like they have done with the video below. They also distribute promotional materials to local businesses that their target market might attend (athletic wear stores, maternity stores, doctors offices, etc.), and appear at local events. Marketing occurs once the women and the studio owner exchange something of value. In this case, the women exchange cash for a single or set of studio classes. After this transaction, both have gained and given up something, and have now satisfied their needs. 

I hope my real life example has helped you all learn a little something about the marketing process! Interning for Prenatal Method Studio this summer, I was able to create content calendars, design newsletters, distribute promotional materials, post to Facebook, photograph events, and more. My goal for this course is to learn a little more about the business and analytical side of marketing. I can't wait to dive deeper in my next blog post!



Sources:
Marketing: The Core, Sixth Edition, Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puVE-pf3iMA