Fitness & Lifestyle PR in Germany
Zumba Fitness, Piloxing, Anita, Mallani, Sør, Olaf Benz, Nomo Jeans, Inface, satisfyer and partner etc.
PR for muscle building and fat burning? „We can do it!“, answers our Fitness and Sports team. Our work in this area includes Zumba and Piloxing, two leading sports trends, as well as a collaboration with Stadium, a Swedish sports outlet chain. Regarding the Lifestyle sector, we have also done end-consumer-oriented PR work for sexual wellness brands Satisfyer and Partner, reaching an open-minded and adventurous audience. Fitness and sports are one of today’s biggest trends. Understanding of the way the market works and knowledge of what makes the consumer tick are crucial if we want our PR actions to keep up with the latest fashions. Only this way can we help brands can gain exposure and increase their market shares. We have accomplished classic end-consumer-oriented PR work for fitness, fashion and lifestyle brands such as Zumba Fitness, Piloxing, Kalkhoff Bikes, Olaf Benz, Mallani, Nomo Jeans, Inface and leisure research.
These days, an ever-growing part of the population takes sports and fitness very seriously. People have realized that good health, a longer life, an athletic build, fulfilment and a fresh mind are all part of a whole. Over 7 million people have a membership card at a fitness studio. Not to mention club sport, which has always been an important thing in Germany.
But while earlier sports were almost only played in associations, today it is possible to choose from a variety of sports facilities that are both adapted to specific bodily needs and use sports science.
Those trends want to be communicated. And for that, just advertising is not enough: what they need is credible PR work in media that are trusted by the potential target groups. This is what we do best.
A short introduction to our work
The World in Change – People at the Centre
Our customer, the Foundation for Future Studies, adresses the subject “The World in Change – People at the Centre“, encompassing social and cultural wellbeing, aspects of major importance in our 21st-century society. The Foundation for Future Studies was created by British American Tobacco with the aim to promote science and research as an independent, non-profit organisation. Professor Horst W. Opaschowski, co-founder of the Foundation and supervisor of Industrie-Contact, has decisively shaped the institute’s history in his years as Director of Research from 1979 to 2010. In 2014, he founded Hamburg-based future studies institute Opaschowski Institut für Zukunftsforschung with his daughter Irina Pilawa. Professor Opaschowski was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for his contributions. Industrie-Contact is extremely proud that this renowned researcher is part of its supervisory board.
Zumba
We have been helping American company Zumba Fitness expand its brand to Germany for over three years now. We steered media work towards end-consumer-oriented media, from daily press to women’s magazine and lifestyle publications, but also towards specialised press. All this was backed by participation to major events bringing together sometimes over a thousand zumba fans.
Aside the PR work promoting the workout, we also worked on advertising Zumba fitness sportswear and collaborated with Universal Records by taking in charge the communications on the launch of a double CD of Zumba songs.
Piloxing
As part of our work for American workout brand Piloxing, we took over the media management at FIBO, the world’s greatest trade fair for fitness, wellness and health. Our job was to invite journalists to the Piloxing stand for live communication, so that they could interview Viveca Jensen, the Swedish-born, LA-based founder of the brand.
ELLE Magazine wrote on Piloxing: „The workout primarily consists in a cardio training that engages muscles in the arms, shoulders, legs, butt and the upper body in general. Piloxing is so intense that one hour can burn up to 1,200 calories! Plus, fat is burned at full blast. This is the best workout if you want more muscle and a slender figure.“
We are proud of helping Piloxing gain exposure and fans in Germany.
Our work with Swedish sports outlet Stadium
We counselled Swedish sports outlet chain Stadium in Hamburg on how to use amateur sports to gain popularity and increase sales. Right now, the potential of amateur sport is underestimated when it comes to making a name through targeted sponsoring or PR work in the associative field.
Fashion PR: style and substance
Fashion brings style and confidence. Why dress negligently when you can dress to impress? However, there is a difference between casual chic and high fashion. The possibilites for good fashion PR are infinite: the sky’s the limit! But what are the best ways for a brand to gain coverage: a runway show at Fashion Week? Or simply in-store campaigns?
Industrie-Contact has assisted many customers from the fashion world. A few examples include: Anita, a 125-year-old corsetry and swimsuit brand; knitwear brand Mallani; men’s clothing brand Sør; men’s underwear label Olaf Benz; Finnish bespoke-jeans brand Nomo Jeans; and Danish sunglass manufacturer Inface.
Nomo Jeans: body scanners for bespoke magic
We all know body scanners from airports; they are used for everyday security. This is why a jeans company using body scanners seems like a crazy idea at first. But that’s exactly what Nomo Jeans does: create the perfect pair of jeans thanks to body scanner technology.
The Nomo store, located on the 1st floor of Levantehaus, an elegant shopping gallery in the center of Hamburg, was missing casual customers; the fact that it is located at the end of the gallery also contributed to this.
Classic press work, a press event and a guerrilla marketing campaign helped emphasize the brand and the store’s location. This involved creating an aesthetically designed press map and preparing a hand-picked media list.
The journalists had to share their most personal vision of the store possible. They were made to act like clients testing the body scanner and trying their individually tailored Nomo Jeans on. Cooperations and competitions were also organized, as well as individual editorial visits in Hamburg. A small guerrilla marketing campaign was also organized in Mönckebergstrasse to both cultivate blogger relations & influencer marketing and involve social media.
These measures helped score numerous positive reports in print and online media, which contributed to the exposure of Nomo Jeans and its store in Levantehaus.
Lifestyle PR at its most daring: sexual wellness
The modern concept of sexual wellness has nothing to do with the stereotypical image of grubby sex stores. Women and men, alone or as couples, are now more daring in the bedroom and more open to new sexual experiences; the use of sex toys is becoming increasingly popular. Satisfyer, for example, is a women’s toy designed for clitoral stimulation with pressure waves. The partner toy is designed for use by couples; its innovative style requires a bit of time getting used to. This is where lifestyle PR takes on an almost educational role. Both brands call upon Industrie-Contact for end-consumer-oriented PR work. This allows a larger audience to benefit from new stimulation possibilities.
Entertainment PR in all its diversity
Industrie-Contact has already provided its services in Entertainment PR to many customers. Aside from the foundation named above (which previously existed under the name of BAT Leisure Research Institute), other customers include: Germany’s highest-revenue bicycle manufacturer Derby Cycle (which owns brands Kalkhoff. Focus, Raleigh, Univega, Rixe); Italian leading bicycle-accessory supplier Rivolta; US workout brands Zumba, Fitness and Piloxing; great names of music such as Yamaha Music and Universal Music; British collectable figurine and kit company Eaglemoss; second-hand events ticket company Ticketbis from Spain; and finally, famous Finnish home and gardening brands Fiskars and Marimekko.
Leisure & Entertainment PR: the example of bicycle brand Kalkhoff
Kalkhoff is a leading e-bike brand in Germany which offers a wide range of bicycles: city, touring, trekking, child-sized bikes … Our job was to position the brand in end-consumer media as well as in specialized press and to emphasize market leadership. We did so through classic press work, which included inviting a selection of journalists to a test tour on various Kalkhoff bicycle models around the Outer Alster Lake. Our portfolio of activities was completed by live communication at major bicycle trade show Eurobike in Friedrichshafen and at in-house exhibition “Bike Expo“ at Derby Cycle’s head office in Cloppenburg.
Entertainment PR for a quiet hobby
Eaglemoss is a leading brand of figurine construction kits which are distributed as collectables by newsagents. Collectors and enthusiasts can for example recreate the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé in an exact 1:8 reproduction of the iconic sports car. The product promotion campaign was firstly launched on a private TV channel. Then comes the special interest press, read by collectors and enthusiasts; this is where we do classic press work for Eaglemoss. Our job was to precisely identify the target media and provide them press articles on figurine collections.