A Wren Says

Be honest, within the last six months, have you considered starting CrossFit? Joining one of their affiliate gyms? Doing the workout of the day post on the website on your on? No? Twenty years ago, that might be a different story. When the method and the brand was on the fringe of fitness it was associated with community and insane workouts. Now, in in blotted fitness landscape there are multiple competitors than fulfil those needs. Add to that the amount of controversy that CrossFit has been embroiled in and the end result has become a crisis for the brand.

Enter new marketing strategy: CrossFit is the cure

In this new ad, the brand leans into the ethics of hard work. As the narrator lays out, there are no quick fixes, you have to grind. This heavily plays into the original image of the brand, of disciplined focus on health and self-improvement. It strongly aligns with the brand values and uses the video to link people to gyms in there are and explain the benefits of the sport.

Explaining the rationale for the campaign, Chief Marketing Officer, Jenni Hauca,  posted a series of pictures on LinkedIn. They lay out the brand’s need to remind people about the essence of the brand.

It is for anyone, but not everyone. It is inclusive for those willing to choose the path. All very beautiful marketing speak, but is it too late?

Last summer, the CrossFit games was overshadowed by tragedy. Before that, there were continued questions about how the Games were run in a way that put athletes’ health and safety in jeopardy. Before that, there were continuous questions about the safety of the activity. And all along, there were questions about its founder. The professional sporting event (the CrossFit Games), the identity and behavior of its founder, and questions about the methodology all affect the image of the brand. Is this campaign enough to address all of that?

As the brand seeks out continued growth in members and participants, it needs people who want its product. In general, CrossFit needs more people who want to do the types of workouts it programs. But it also needs people to want to be associated with the institution of CrossFit and all of its components. Hard work and discipline may very well be the cure for many of our Western ailments, but has CrossFit done enough to convince people that it is the best source for that medicine?