The best fitness marketing campaigns turn the hardest part of fitness, getting started, into a story people share. Equinox reported its best January ever after refusing membership sales on January 1, according to Fortune. Crunch Fitness reported a 41% rise in leads, and Planet Fitness reported 7.2 billion earned media impressions, according to their agencies. Here are five fitness campaigns with published results.
Last updated: October 24, 2026. Results are as reported by agencies, award entries and trade sources, not independently audited.
In this guide
- Which fitness campaigns made this list?
- Which fitness campaign is best for each goal?
- What are the five best fitness marketing campaigns?
- What do the best fitness campaigns have in common?
- How can fitness brands copy these campaigns?
- Where can you find more campaign roundups?
- Frequently asked questions
Which fitness campaigns made this list?
This list covers five fitness campaigns from Equinox, Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Gymshark and Nike, each chosen because the brand, its agency or a trade source published a result.
"Best" is a judgment call, so this is 5W's pick of campaigns with a clear mechanism and clear numbers, not a ranking by sales. Most figures come from agencies or award entries, so treat them as reported, not audited. One case, Nike Training Club, is older than the rest and is included because its app download numbers are unusually specific.
| Campaign | Brand | Idea | Reported result |
|---|---|---|---|
| "We Don't Speak January" | Equinox | Refused memberships on January 1 | Best January ever, 2.4B earned impressions |
| "Mother Fitness" | Planet Fitness | A TV spot on a judgement-free gym | 7.2B earned impressions, 98% positive sentiment |
| "Feel Good. Not Bad." | Crunch Fitness | A humor-led national campaign | +41% leads, +37% sales |
| "66 Days | Change Your Life" | Gymshark | A TikTok habit challenge | 45.5M hashtag views |
| Nike+ Training Club relaunch | Nike | A rebuilt training app | 1M downloads in week one |
Which fitness campaign is best for each goal?
The best fitness campaign depends on the goal: Equinox for earned buzz around a ritual, Planet Fitness for lowering the barrier to joining, Crunch Fitness for leads, Gymshark for user-generated engagement, and Nike for app downloads. The table matches each goal to the case with the strongest reported result for it. The matches are 5W's reading of figures from agencies, award entries and trade sources, and several measure awareness or engagement instead of memberships.
| If your goal is... | Look at | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Earned buzz around a calendar moment | Equinox | 2.4 billion earned impressions and its best January ever |
| Reaching people who feel gyms are not for them | Planet Fitness | 7.2 billion earned impressions; sentiment up from 73% to 98% |
| Leads and sales on a low price | Crunch Fitness | 41% increase in leads and 37% increase in sales |
| Content from your own followers | Gymshark | 45.5 million views of the campaign hashtag |
| App downloads at launch | Nike | 1 million downloads in the first week |
What are the five best fitness marketing campaigns?
The five campaigns below run from a gym that turned away new members to an app that drew a million downloads in a week.
1. Equinox "We Don't Speak January"
Equinox, a luxury fitness club, announced it would not allow membership purchases on January 1, traditionally the biggest gym sign-up day of the year, according to the agency Collins. The idea challenged the January sign-up rush, which the case study says often ends within weeks.
Collins reports the best January ever for sales and leads, up about 25% month to date against the previous best, plus 2.4 billion earned media impressions and a 504% increase in brand conversation. Fortune reported sales up 30% month to date at the time of its January 2023 story. The two sources differ on the exact figure, so this page gives the range.
Why it works: Saying no to the busiest sign-up day made news, and it matched Equinox's luxury positioning with an action instead of an adjective.
2. Planet Fitness "Mother Fitness"
Planet Fitness, working with the agency Barkley of Kansas City, used its "Judgement Free Zone" positioning to reach non-members who feel gyms are not for them, according to the Cannes Lions entry. The TV spot "Mother Fitness" was built to show Planet Fitness as the most judgement free gym.
The entry reports 7.2 billion earned media impressions, positive social sentiment up from 73% to 98% year over year, and a 78% increase in public mentions on social. These figures come from the agency's award entry.
Why it works: A single, repeatable promise, no judgement, let a TV ad speak to people who were afraid of the gym, which is the audience a gym chain needs most.
3. Crunch Fitness "Feel Good. Not Bad."
Crunch Fitness introduced "Feel Good. Not Bad." in 2024 with the agency Familiar Creatures, and its agency page says Crunch moved from seventh to second in awareness among gyms, behind Planet Fitness, according to the agency's case summary. The same summary reports a 41% increase in total leads, a 37% increase in sales and the highest awareness and recall levels in Q1 2025.
The campaign leaned on humor and on Crunch's $9.99 monthly price, according to LBB, which covered the next phase of the campaign. The results come from the agency, not from Crunch.
Why it works: A cheap membership paired with a humorous tone separated Crunch from bigger gym brands that lean on intensity.
4. Gymshark "66 Days | Change Your Life"
Gymshark, a UK fitness apparel brand, ran its "66 Days | Change Your Life" challenge on TikTok with six influencer accounts in fitness and dance, according to Springwise. The challenge ran for roughly two months and targeted 19.8 million users.
Springwise reports nearly 2 million likes, more than 12,000 comments and 45.5 million views of the campaign hashtag. The challenge asked people to work on a personal goal for 66 days, and Gymshark continued it in later years. These figures measure engagement, not sales.
Why it works: A fixed length, 66 days, gave participants a clear start and finish, and every post from a participant was content Gymshark did not have to produce.
5. Nike+ Training Club relaunch
Nike and the agency AKQA rebuilt the Nike+ Training Club app from the ground up, using usage data and cultural insight, and released it on New Year's Day, according to the Cannes Lions 2014 entry. The entry reports a million downloads across iOS and Android in the first week and almost 3 million by the end of January.
This is the oldest case on the list and the only one built around an app. The figures come from the agency's entry, and the launch timing, New Year's Day, matched the moment people decide to train.
Why it works: Launching on January 1 put a new training app in front of people at the moment they were looking for one.
What do the best fitness campaigns have in common?
Each of the five campaigns tied its idea to a moment or a worry that fitness customers already have: January, fear of judgement, price, habit and the new-year start.
| Approach | Campaigns on this list | What the audience sees |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge a ritual | Equinox | A gym that says no on the busiest sign-up day |
| Remove a fear | Planet Fitness | A promise of no judgement |
| Use humor and price | Crunch Fitness | A funny ad with a low monthly fee |
| Hand over the content | Gymshark | Followers posting their own 66 days |
| Launch at the right moment | Nike | A new app on New Year's Day |
The risk is that several of these results are engagement or awareness measures, not membership counts. Planet Fitness and Gymshark report impressions and views, and only Crunch and Equinox report sales or leads.
How can fitness brands copy these campaigns?
Fitness brands can copy these campaigns by picking one customer worry or one calendar moment and building a single idea around it.
- Use the calendar. Equinox built its idea around January 1, and Nike launched its app on New Year's Day.
- Name the fear and remove it. Planet Fitness reported social sentiment rising from 73% to 98%, according to its Cannes Lions entry, with a judgement-free promise.
- Give people a fixed challenge. Gymshark's 66-day format produced 45.5 million hashtag views, according to Springwise.
- Pair humor with a clear price. Crunch put a $9.99 membership inside a funny campaign and its agency reported 41% more leads.
- Report sales or leads, not only impressions. Only some of these cases published them.
Where can you find more campaign roundups?
Fitness overlaps with wellness, supplements and influencer marketing, so several 5W pieces sit close to this one. See the best healthcare and wellness PR campaigns, how top fitness brands win with influencer marketing and what AI tells customers about fitness brands.
Frequently asked questions
Which fitness campaign reported the biggest results?
Equinox reported 2.4 billion earned media impressions and its best January ever, according to Collins, while Planet Fitness reported 7.2 billion earned impressions for "Mother Fitness," according to its Cannes Lions entry. Crunch Fitness reported a 41% rise in leads and a 37% rise in sales.
Which fitness campaign is best for generating leads?
Crunch Fitness, which reported a 41% increase in total leads and a 37% increase in sales, according to its agency's case summary. The figures come from the agency and are not independently audited.
Are the fitness campaign results verified?
No. The figures come from agencies, award entries and trade reports. Equinox's January sales figure differs between the agency's case study and Fortune, so this page gives both.
Why is a Nike app launch on a campaign list?
Nike's Training Club relaunch is the only app launch here and the oldest case. It is included because its entry reports specific download numbers, a million in the first week and almost 3 million by the end of January.
Can a small gym copy these campaigns?
Small gyms can copy the mechanisms, such as a January-specific idea or a fixed-length challenge. National TV spend is not required, but the idea needs a clear audience worry behind it.
