There have been a whole lot of wacky and wild fads in the fitness industry over time. In fact, a quick browse of YouTube videos showing trends from the 80s and 90s will convince you that some adverts for fitness products over the years have been so bizarre that you have to question whether they were real!

But times are changing. Americans are more aware than ever before of the need for good health, and with that, a need to take more exercise. They’re also beginning to realize that strange gadgets and quirky machines aren’t the way to achieve better fitness. The upshot has been an upheaval in the advertising industry when it comes to sporting and fitness products.

The Lifestyle Campaign

The most modern fitness brands are moving away from focusing on how great the offerings of particular gyms are. Instead, they’re trying to connect better well-being with a better lifestyle. Campaigns which suggest that active adults have a better quality of life have been shown to be very successful in recent years, and it’s a trend which is likely to continue in the near future. Millennials are all about living their best life, and what better place to start than with the best known fitness brands?

Streamed Content

Working out is often the first thing to be left behind when we have a busy life. So, it’s no wonder that working out in the comfort of your own home is proving to be convenient for a generation of people who are working long hours. Rather than go to a gym, more people are investing in equipment like a treadmill, cross-trainer or rowing machine for their very own basement gym. To cater for this market of at-home exercisers, fitness brands and sites like Home Rower are now offering the chance to stream professional workouts into your own home. On-demand workouts over the internet can be used anywhere and at any time to suit. Lots of gyms also offer live-streaming of classes, so if you can’t get to your local gym, you could always subscribe and get the experience in your own basement.

Podcast Advertising

Fitness brands are becoming more aware that people want to listen to something while they’re working out. Podcasts are the ideal way forward, especially as a lot of modern home gym equipment has Bluetooth connectivity so podcasts can be streamed in a really convenient way. Around 40% of exercisers have been shown to listen to a podcast while they work out so it’s no wonder that podcasting has become an advertising method of choice for fitness brands.

The Ultra-Inclusive Campaign

At the start of 2018, a poll was carried out of more than two thousands US citizen. Almost half reported that they were intimidated by the idea of ever walking through the doors of a gym. On top of that, 56% of the people surveyed said they had concerns about looking too unfit to go to a gym, while 46% were worried about being judged negatively. If these figures hold true across the rest of the population, it’s no wonder that so many people are exercising at home.

However, in an attempt to reverse the home gym trend, a number of fitness brands have gone the other way. Instead of using podcasts and streamed content to appeal to those who prefer to exercise in the privacy of their own basement, they’ve gone for a more inclusive approach. Some fitness brands have deliberated chosen models for their advertising campaigns of all different sizes and shapes to give a body-positive message. The idea is that working out on an exercise bike can boost your self-confidence and that you can benefit whoever you are and whatever size or shape you have.

Some recent campaigns have showed real gym members working out on low-tech equipment, making being active a key element in their lives. The idea is to show the target audience that not everyone in their local gym will be an airbrushed model and that they too can maintain fitness, even if they’ve never been to a gym before.

Who knows what the fitness advertising trends for 2019 will be, but if 2018 was anything to go by, we’ll see the top fitness brands seeking out ever-more innovative approaches to appeal to Millennials.