Prachita Pujari, Cult.fit on marketing a fitness brand in the Indian market

In a brief conversation with Social Samosa, Prachita Pujari gives insights into how the fitness industry is gradually moving towards the offline space and how Cult.fit plans to leverage this medium.

In 2016, Cult.fit launched with the aim to disrupt the largely unorganised fitness industry that was dominated by local gyms, yoga classes, and more. With their marketing, the brand wished to revamp "fitness" which was often perceived as tough, rigid, and not fun.

Cult.fit, with their campaigns, introduced quirk, humour and Bollywood into the mix, in an attempt to create a fresh narrative. 

By being heavy on digital media and keeping the spotlight on trainers, Cult.fit has been focussed on creating conversations in the digital domain.

Prachita Pujari, Brand Head, Cult.fit gives insights into how the brand has grown since its initial stages, and how it leveraged the charm of Bollywood and connected with its target group. 

Brand’s Journey & Communication

Cult.fit started off its humble marketing beginnings by being heavy on offline communications. In the initial days, the brand focused on being more functional. It also focused on hyperlocal marketing in and around the centres. 

During the pandemic, like many other industries, the fitness sector took a major plunge as well. Pujari says that this was when the brand saw a quick pivot to online. 

The younger generation uses social media for every aspect of their lives and fitness is included in this as well. To communicate better with the audience, the brand leverages their social media to its full potential. The brand has also established a strong presence on YouTube to connect with them, where they post regular master classes and workout routines. During the pandemic, YouTube was a last resort for many people who couldn’t physically go to gyms. 

Talking about the brand’s target audience and the specific demographics, Pujari says, “Cult.fit’s communications are targeted specifically at 28 to 35-year-olds. The brand has an equal mix of 50-50 split between males and females. The brand’s communication, marketing and branding are focused in the top four cities of the country, that is Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai.”

Apart from posting fitness videos and organizing workout camps, Cult.fit’s YouTube channel also drives attention to the practice of yoga. 

With the brand churning out content on a regular basis, Cult.fit has gained a loyal audience base on the video-sharing platform even post-pandemic. 

Additionally, keeping the mood lighter and quirkier on other ends, Cult.fit’s Instagram content is a blend of humour, recent trends, fitness information, and motivation. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cult.fit (@cultfitofficial)

Bollywood at its core

Initially, the brand focused on communicating through traditional mediums like OOH and hyperlocal marketing. With time, the brand eventually moved on from a functional approach to a more emotional space. 

Also Read: Zomato brand creatives are for the heart, engagement is for the soul

Cult.fit founds its emotional connection through Bollywood, especially spoofing famous scenes from cult movies. 

With " target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="">‘Fitness is not an option’ campaign, the brand tried its hands-on quirk for the first time. The idea of Bollywood spoofs got a good amount of traction which encouraged and motivated the brand to take this idea further in the future, mentions Pujari. 

The fitness industry has traditionally always had a very stern approach towards marketing. By breaking the clutter, Cult.fit found its niche in quirk and humour. 

Since the beginning, the brand has always prioritised their trainers and turned them into their very own celebs. From posting fitness lessons, and diet routines, their trainers are also roped in for the humour bit on their social media.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cult.fit (@cultfitofficial)

Cult.fit also has a vast history of roping in celebrities for their campaigns. In the past, the brand associated with Bollywood celebrity Hrithik Roshan, coming up with fitness routines and much more.

The brand also engages with fitness influencers on a regular basis. Their Instagram page has regular interactions with not only fitness influencers but other genres as well which has broadened their audience reach.

Talking about the trends that will float in 2023 for the fitness industry, Pujari says, “Celebrities and influencers have always played a part in driving fitness trends, motivation and inspiration to folks and they will continue to do so to drive eyeballs as well as inspire and motivate people to take up fitness.”

The humour angle has worked great for the brand in the past. Pujari points out that the brand plans on doing quirky and clutter-breaking stuff and standing out with some interesting ideas and executing them well on social media. 

“As the offline market is opening up on a great scale, the brand also has plans to venture out more. We aim to do a lot more offline events like celebrity runs, dance-boot camps, etc,” concludes Pujari.