After years of planning — and with facilities in many Australian cities and New Zealand — the chain made its first foray into Victoria.
Having worked with us on a number of projects for their other clubs, the company engaged The Being Group to provide a full suite of fitness club marketing services for the Next Gen Doncaster launch campaign.
Seeing this as an opportunity to take their branding to another level, Next Gen required a marketing campaign to match their premium offering.
To ensure the best results from the campaign — where the fitness club chain would launch its first facility in a new environment — desktop analysis and a marketing strategy workshop explored opportunities and challenges in the local market. Determining that having a strong digital presence was essential, especially as physical memberships were not able to be sold in Melbourne at the time, due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
The resulting strategic report informed the goals of the launch strategy, including encouraging people to become lifetime members, making members feel valued and high priority, becoming a gym of choice, building trust in a completely new market, and communicating a premium experience.
Recommendations included defining an identity for the Next Gen Doncaster launch campaign, prioritising website landing page development and the rollout of the launch identity, design and messaging.
Developed through internal workshopping, the campaign name and tagline highlight the club’s sophisticated, premium offering with a subtle, yet aspirational call-to-action approach.
Logo design conveys a sense of movement or flow, with an elegant typeface and curved tagline option for maximum impact. A rich, dark blue complements shades of beige, orange and gold in a colour palette that suggests opulence and luxury.
Arch-shaped graphic elements take cues from the architecture of the club’s heritage building and can be used as a simple visual tool across campaign collateral to elevate classic designs. A line gradient adds depth to both digital and print applications, making use of the luxurious campaign colour palette while remaining connected to existing Next Gen branding.
Avenir Next, a clean sans-serif font, is inviting and easy-to-read as the campaign’s primary typeface, with a sophisticated serif (Bodoni Book) adding contrast across headings in print and digital use.
Through a simple, one-page design, considered aspirational copy and beautiful lifestyle photography, the website invites viewers to experience a health club with a difference.
Campaign branding elements — such as the colour palette, typography and colour gradient — are seen across the website, evoking a sophisticated feeling when paired with imagery reminiscent of what might be seen on the website of a luxury resort.
Content is informative and outlines the club’s offering under four pillars: health and fitness, lifestyle and wellbeing, tennis, and aquatics. Calls to action are clear and encourage people to enjoy the benefits of signing up for membership ahead of the club opening.
An interactive map, also designed and built by The Being Group, takes fitness club marketing to another level, allowing potential members to discover and explore luxury features virtually prior to the facilities being accessible to the public. The map also elevates member experience at the entrance of the facility.
Fitness club marketing materials see further application of the Elevate Your Lifestyle campaign branding, with EDM templates continuing the look and feel established in the website design, and email signatures effectively communicating information in a sophisticated and professional manner.
Social media assets make the most of all elements of the campaign branding, including arch shapes to create visual interest and variety, and vibrant, positive photography to exude a sense of style and luxury.
Copy and imagery are aspirational and convey the quality, holistic approach of the Next Gen Doncaster offering.
Extending marketing into more traditional avenues, digital signage and a pop-up in the Westfield Doncaster shopping centre introduced the brand to local residents and encouraged sign-ups from those who may have been missed by online advertising.
Bespoke video cinema advertisements offer potential members in Doncaster and surrounding areas a glimpse inside the lifestyle of a Next Gen member. Featuring copywriting and footage by The Being Group, as well as Next Gen-supplied content and stock video, cinema ads capture the essence of the Elevate Your Lifestyle brand.
A sizzle reel capturing the full range of the Next Gen Doncaster offering across four pillars adds beautiful visuals to the member and visitor experience in the facility’s lobby, as well as acting as a promotional tool at the Westfield Doncaster pop-up.
As part of Next Gen Doncaster’s luxury offering, the Tullamore Club membership tier provides exclusive access to premium facilities, amenities and events. Sub-brand design is an extension of the campaign brand, further exploring the heritage of the original building of the site’s former golf club.
Iconography pays homage to the historical design with a continuation of the arch shapes throughout the brand’s application, while the wordmark is bold and sophisticated.
Featuring the same shades as the Next Gen Doncaster colour palette, Tullamore Club communications utilise the dark navy as a primary colour for a darker, premium look.
Brand patterns recreate the flow of the tennis courts and represent movement in a visually pleasing way.
In the lead up to the club’s opening day, press releases and visual content sent to contacts in Melbourne and the broader fitness community outline Next Gen Doncaster’s premium facilities, COVID-safe features and opening weekend events. Fitness club marketing and communications efforts ensured publication on industry news platforms.
