David Barton Gym is a widely-known brand, which incorporates several filial branches across the country, including ones in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, and others. This paper aims to discuss the peculiarities of the company’s marketing. The questions of its positioning, targeting, communication with customers and employees as well as brand’s philosophy will be discussed.
The Brand’s Positioning and Targeting
First of all, it is essential to discuss how the David Barton Gym brand is represented and to which target groups it appeals. According to the company’s website, the first fitness facility under the David Barton Gym brand was opened in 1992, and since then the company continues to promote a very distinct and thus memorable public image. The firm positions itself more as a community, which is formed around the particular lifestyle, than merely a place to work out. David Barton gyms are designed with an apparent and obvious reference to the New York’s clubbing nightlife aesthetics, and it is a very logical decision given that the first David Barton fitness club was opened in New York, in the era when the lifestyle of the night partying was trendy among the young population of Big Apple.
Therefore, it is evident that the company primarily positions itself for a younger audience, which typically tends to live an urban lifestyle. It is apparent that David Barton Gym targets the people who are aware of their health and who wants to keep their body in shape since this trend is a very wide-spread cultural phenomenon of the modern society. Another group, to which the brand appeals, is the LGBT community. The following section will dwell upon the discussion of the firm’s corporate philosophy since it comprises a considerable part of the company’s positioning and public image.
David Barton Gym’s Philosophy
Further, it is important to observe three key aspects of the company’s philosophy because these factors shape the perception of the brand to an immense extent. First of all, the company’s website states that one of the primary goals of the firm is “creating exciting energy that affects one’s emotions and awareness.” It is the company’s ultimate goal, which represents its overall perception of its mission and vision. Secondly, the website mentions that “helping people get the body of their dreams” is another goal, which the company aims to reach. It is obvious that every fitness club promotes a healthy lifestyle, but David Barton Gym emphasizes the customer’s idealized perception of his body. Thirdly, it is stated that the company was “learning what every other “health club” was doing and then doing just the opposite.” This statement represents a very distinct competitive approach, which is implemented by the company. It is evident that the company has a distinct corporate philosophy, and thus the final section will observe some peculiarities of the firm’s communication with its customers and employees.
Communication with Customers and Employees
As it was already mentioned, the company’s interaction with the clients served the ultimate goal of creating the community around the brand. The company succeeded in doing so to a considerable extent since people were pleased to be a part of the relatively exclusive social formation. This appeal has driven many people to be very loyal customers of the David Barton Gym. However, considering the treatment of the company’s employees, it is possible to observe that the company has a poorly developed employment policy. Numerous former workers of the firm claimed that they did not receive transparent payment and adequate managing. In conclusion, it should be noted that David Barton Gym is an example of a very successful marketing scheme, despite having some flaws in other aspects.