Advertising on digital display screens in the gym.

Have you ever wondered about advertising on screens inside gyms or even about the effectiveness of advertising on those screens for your brand?

The fitness industry in Australia has gone from strength to strength and the introduction and availability of 24-hour clubs has undoubtedly provided the most area of growth for  gyms and fitness centers located across the country.

In 2020, according to research published by Thomas Hinton for Statista there were more than 4 million Australians who had a gym membership and around 1.8 million of those members were aged between 25 and 35 years and a further 1.3 million gym goers were 35-45 years.

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What does this mean for your brand?

Think ‘Captive Audience’ -

Data provided to CAASie by VMO Outdoor, suggests that nearly 50% of the members go to the gym for a minimum of 4hrs a week and on average spend around 72 minutes in the gym.

Imagine being able to advertise your brand to consumers when they are the most attentive, with a positive and a motivated mindset, potentially over a period of 60+ minutes.

Rather than watching the person next to them pump their biceps, members consciously look at the screen and because they are in a positive mindset are more likely to absorb the information displayed - That’s a win for your brand!

What you get for advertising in gyms along with a ‘captive audience’ is the opportunity to introduce, inform, persuade or even to just remind consumers of your brand. Your ads may get seen at least 3 to 4 times during the hour and this builds familiarity and effective retentive impressions towards the brand.

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Who can advertise in gyms?

We’re sure our readers understand that not ALL brands are going to be suited to flashing up on the screen of the local gym. For instance, if your brand encompasses products that could be seen as an unhealthy or competitive product/choices you can pretty much be assured your advertisement will be rejected. Apart from those scenarios, it’s an open playing field!

Now if you can advertise health products, your brand is entering a goldmine of opportunity for growth and awareness, as will any product traditionally associated with the gym or fitness context, but there’s no need to be stifled by that genre. You could offer Bluetooth headphones, fashion accessories, real estate, upcoming events, mobile apps and more.

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How to effectively advertise at the gym.

First and foremost you need to have a goal - What you want to achieve for your brand. Who is your target audience? What time would be most beneficial to run your ads (keeping both product and audience in mind)? Most of all, you need to make sure that your ad (creative content) is something your target finds interesting!

The screens in gyms support video, but since there is already music pumping, there’s usually no audio (this doesn’t mean you can’t use captions). Across most gym screens ad play duration is generally between 10 to 15 seconds - which means that you have plenty of time to make the most of video and animated ads. As with most advertising, video content creates the most impact and draws the most attention. But just remember, the more creative and relevant to the audience your ad is, the more likely it is to be remembered.‍ Better yet, actioned!

Having an absolutely fantastic advertising option does not mean instant success, your ad quality or story is critical. You get 10-15 seconds to pitch your story to your customer. The first couple of seconds are the most important, try and capture the attention with the problem you are solving. Then highlight how you are solving this problem and why they should buy your brand. Finally, ask your customer to do something (a call to action) that brings them value and leads them on the path to engage with your brand - e.g. purchase, sign up, call, follow, etc.

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So, how do you get your ads on a gym screen?

Advertising on gym screens can get a bit tricky because different gym franchises, brands, ect., and the screens are owned by different people. In some cases you may be able to talk directly with the owner of the gym, or to a rep who can help connect you with the right people.

Often you’ll find a 3rd party might be responsible for the advertising. In these cases you could get in contact with this party, or you could approach a media buyer (or ask your existing agency) to negotiate on your behalf.

However, if you are a DIY whizz you can access a large selection of gym screens across Australia, right from your computer - with a free CAASie account.

It’s quite a bit different to bargaining for a typical media sale, but it is fairly similar to paid Facebook or Google advertising. Which also means that your digital marketer may be able to help you out.

Of course, you’re not limited to screens in gyms, either. With your CAASie account you can access a range of digital signage from roadside billboards to waiting room TVs.

If you’d like to learn more about how it works, you can read Taryn’s overview on CAASie; What exactly is CAASie?

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