I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on an exclusive talk with Ben Francis, the owner of Gymshark and the UK’s youngest Billionaire.
He spoke about how he created a culture with Gymshark that will last longer than his own lifespan by focusing on building a community.
The main reason Gymshark is so successful is that it is one of the best companies in the world at having others promote their brand!
They were the first to use the influencer model when they set up, so they would provide training sessions for up and coming fitness models, and take these models to events and expo’s as part of an ‘athlete’ team. That sense of team cohesion inspired others to want to be part of it as it seemed like a community of like minded individuals that others in the fitness space could relate to.
People then looked at the Gymshark Athlete lifestyle and wanted to be part of it, so would buy Gymshark products and take photos and videos in them to look like the athletes. It created user generated marketing on a mass scale.
Even now Gymshark continues to pursue this sense of community, by putting on events like the one which I attended, investing millions into such a spectacle and allowing people to attend for free!
Yes they were selling clothing and had made money from sponsorships for the event but by allowing people to attend for free they knew that those attending would be creating content, taking photos and showing the world that they were there.
Exposure is the most important thing and they would have received less exposure by selling tickets for the event so they put on a hell of a show and let people enjoy the occasion free of charge.
All the while receiving mass exposure by fitness influencers and enthusiasts from across the world showcasing the Gymshark brand at the event.
