Pump Up --Your SalesCross Promoting Fitness and Tanning
by Scott Eric Barrett
Nothing beats a good combination. Imagine Batman without Robin or movies without popcorn. In the real world, combinations can make or break an entire industry, and few industries form a more dynamic duo than the indoor tanning and fitness industries.
According to a Fitness American Style-Roper Starch worldwide poll, 97 percent of Americans place maintaining good physical health among the top of their personal priorities and 91 percent say keeping up their physical appearance is important.
Now, more than ever, tanning is recognized as a true lifestyle activity. The two industries have been linked indirectly for many years, according to Jerry Deveney, executive vice president of marketing for Sun Ergoline in Jonesboro, Ark.
"Just take a look at those infomercials that are prevalent on late-night television," he says. "If they are for a diet, fitness or weight-loss product they always feature before and after pictures. If you pay attention, you'll notice that the person in the after picture is always darker than they were in the before picture. Why? Because a tanned physique looks leaner and more contoured."
Made For Each Other
People used to think big muscles meant someone was a dumb jock and indoor tanning was nothing more than the "fake-and-bake" industry. With proven health and self-esteem benefits, tanning and fitness maintenance have become a lifestyle choice.
In the early 1980s, when tanning first started to boom in the United States, the fitness industry was one of the first areas to embrace it. The two continue to work hand-in-hand because they complement each other. Relaxing in a tanning unit can ease stress and after a few sessions--when a member sees the results--he or she will feel better too. Seeing results is very important because one of the fitness industry's biggest problems is the effort needed for a person to attain the desired results. Gyms and fitness centers always are preaching about changing your appearance and they all promise results but never show the hours of hard work required to achieve those results.
In a survey of 1,257 International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) member clubs in the United States, 64 percent of the clubs do not offer tanning. There are an estimated 18,000 health clubs in the United States. That means that more than 11,000 health clubs in the country don't offer tanning.
Salons need to recognize that the members of those clubs are potential tanners. Through creative cross promotions, salon operators can lure fitness lovers--significantly boosting their clientele. Most people work out because they want to change their appearance, so tanning is far from a hard sell.
"It's a no-brainer," Deveney says. "Tanning allows you to see significant results in the first seven to 14 days."
Joe Pepe, president of World Gym in Orange, Conn., agrees. He says the key is to get people tanning and working out three or four times a week.
"Tanning is such a good experience that we feel that offering our members two or three free tanning sessions can easily turn them into regular tanners," he says.
A Co-Op Affair
Co-op advertising between tanning salons and fitness centers makes sense because both are ways to improve your self-image and relieve stress and tension. According to Tracie Williams, COO of the Sandollar Corp., it is one of the most profitable forms of advertising.
"It always works well with our area merchants," she says. "They feel this is a great exposure opportunity with a no-cost perk because to look good is to feel good."
And it is very simple, according to Stacy Kaufman, president of Performance Brands/Pro Tan in Sunrise, Fla. "Salons have their base of customers, as well as gyms, with some overlapping in both," he says. "However, if the gym offers the salon the opportunity to put some fliers and/or sales material in the gym--and vice versa--they then have a better chance of expanding their customer base. In addition, if they both run local advertisements in the same newspapers, they might be able to save on the cost by splitting it up while offering a complete fitness and tanning package."
Lauren Elliot operates Hot Skins in Milford, Mich., which is located right next to a Powerhouse Gym. She says the co-op agreement between the two has been very successful.
"There are lots of ways to cross promote," she says. "You can piggyback off each other on mail-outs to members of either the gym or the salon, offering discounts or upgrades. It really depends on the relationship between the salon operator and the fitness center operator."
The best chance for a salon to grab fitness lovers is at the beginning of the year, Sun Ergoline's Deveney says, because one of the biggest problems gyms and health clubs have is the New Year's resolution syndrome--people join in January, but quit by March. "It's because they don't see the results right away," he adds.
A lot of people start out the New Year with bold resolutions and the best of intentions. They vow to get in shape only to teeter off and blame the hectic pace of life. The harsh reality of fitness can sink in quickly for the average person. Someone who wants to suddenly look like WWF wrestler The Rock after 10 years of abusing their body will be disappointed because it might take six months to notice even a slim difference in appearance.
That's the time for salons to flex their creative muscles. Customer awareness is key because the connection between tanning salons and fitness centers is an obvious plus to those involved in the industry, but consumers aren't quite as knowledgeable. Certain promotions can link tanning and fitness, though, according to Elliot.
"The gym we partner with recently ran a special to encourage people to utilize the club's personal trainers," she says. "The special featured people on 12-week programs. At the end of the 12 weeks, the members had lost a lot of weight and the gym wanted to post pictures of each individual. Before they smiled in front of the cameras, the people wanted to get some color so they came over and tanned with us.
"The gym posted the pictures on their windows so people who were tanning with us saw the pictures when they passed by the gym. It encouraged a lot of our members to want to get fit. Inside the gym a lot of its members saw how good the people looked with tans so they came in to the salon to try tanning. It was a perfect way to appeal to both sets of patrons."
The promotion worked because it was creative enough to appeal to tanners as well as fitness lovers. Elliot says another plus was that the gym made the program public by posting the pictures in the newspaper.
"The gym was just very smart about it," she says. "It became a big phenomenon. If you ally yourself with someone as creative as you want to be then it can be an absolute skyrocket success. It's not a natural transition for tanners to join a gym but there are ways to maximize that."
Results also depend on the trends and demographics of each individual market. Elliot tailored her cross promotions around the time of year.
"For instance, we did something for January that we called 'Shape Up for the New Year.'" she says, "In the promotion, we included a membership package and an introductory tanning package. It was the perfect time to do it because--as we all know--the busiest time for a gym is January."
Williams says the most effective method for Sandollar has been simple exposure. "We trade out our informational tents with the gyms in our area," she says. "We place theirs within our resorts and they place ours in their gyms. We also occasionally give gift certificates to the fitness centers as prize rewards or employee incentives."
Match Made In Heaven
Pro Tan's Kaufman says working out and tanning already have a symbiotic relationship because anybody who wants a healthy glow also would like to have a well-defined physique.
"Overweight people with dark complexions do not look as overweight as pale people who are overweight," he says. "It's plain and simple."
The advantage of a tanned physique is that it gives you a more defined look. If you work out, you are going to be healthy and if you look the part you are going to live healthy.
"When you have a tan, you actually look and appear thinner and leaner because dark colors--like dark clothing--absorb light," Deveney says. "If you go on a fitness program and tan at the same time, you will see much quicker results than if you only work out. Therefore, it tends to make people stay on their program longer."
Kaufman agrees, adding that pale skin creates a shadowing effect and it creates a blind spot on your muscles, so the darker you are, the less the light reflects off of it. "Think about the term blinding snow." he says.
Thomas Plummer, founder of the Thomas Plummer Co., an industry leader in health club business education, says his seminars have received more questions about tanning in the last six months than they have in the last five years.
"Tanning is a natural fit," he says. "People like to look good and tanning is the finishing touch. When you spend a couple hours busting your butt at the gym, it's very relaxing to lay down for 20 to 30 minutes in a tanning bed. It's a nice way to round off the workout."
Co-op advertising with a fitness center or gym in close proximity to your salon is smart business. Salon operators need to recognize this profit bonanza and act quickly. A business partnership can include a coupon trade-off, signage swap or programs for educating each other's clientele on the benefits. Share some ideas with the manager or operator of the fitness center nearby. Use examples and explain in detail how your tanners are people who care about their health and how tanning and working out at the same time will enhance a person's appearance and get them in the cycle of tanning and fitness, fitness and tanning.
"Your customers will dramatically change and improve their appearance and their all-around outlook on life," Deveney says. "It's a fantastic concept and it really is catching on."
In an IHRSA survey that recorded what amenities its health clubs offered, tanning ranked a distant 12th with only 45 percent of IHRSA clubs offering it as an amenity.
Club Amenities
Free Weight Area / 95%Cardiovascular Equipment Area / 84%
Plate Loaded Equipment / 81%
Aerobics/Group Exercise Area / 78%
Selectorized Equipment / 71%
Pro Shop / 69%
Sauna / 67%
Steam Room / 47%
Nursery / 47%
Whirlpool / 46%
Tanning / 45%
Snack/Juice Bar / 42%
Vending Machines / 40%
Indoor Pool / 40%
Source: IHRSA member census
Cater To The Fitness Crowd By Offering Health Supplements
Ancillary profit is the premium fuel that really makes the tanning industry burn these days. The challenge is to find something to sell in the salon without taking away the focus from tanning. Items such as swimwear and sunglasses are usually good sellers, while items that have nothing to do with tanning or the sun usually don't work out too well.
Health supplements may not seem to have close ties to tanning but the connection is unmistakable--seeing a pale professional body builder is about as likely as seeing a tan leprechaun. Bodybuilders know that a golden tan makes their chiseled physique look even better. It's a perfect blend, kind of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deal. While today's tanners are worried about their golden tans, they also are becoming more aware of their overall wellness. Tanning salons can do their part in this relationship--and make a decent profit--by offering health supplements because salon customers want to look and feel good.
"Tanning salons should definitely include nutritional supplements--ones that enhance a tan--plus things like weight-loss products, which sell extremely well in tanning salons," says Stacy Kaufman, president of Performance Brands/Pro Tan in Sunrise, Fla. "Sexual enhancement products are also very popular. There are a lot of natural sexual-enhancer products for men and women and I think tanning salons are perfect for those products."
"Health supplements have become popular for a number of reasons," adds James Collier, author of Informed Bodybuilding Nutrition. "Some of them are popular because they are an important adjunct to the diet and some simply because of clever marketing, which unfortunately preys on the ignorance of the consumer."
According to Health Supplements Information Service, the past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people wanting to take responsibility for their health, as well as taking a greater interest in the role played by diet in maintaining good health. The number of health supplements available and a growing awareness of their benefits also has increased.
Of course, there are always naysayers. Part of successfully selling supplements will involve training your staff to dispel myths your customers may buy into. One of the most popular myths is that supplements are for bodybuilders and athletes only. That assertion is simply not true. People from all walks of life can benefit from supplements at certain times in their lives, particularly if they do not--or cannot--regularly eat a healthy diet or if they have an increased need for certain nutrients. In fact, contrary to popular belief, the vitamin and mineral requirements of athletes may not be much different from the average individual.
Another myth is that dietary supplements are unnecessary and a waste of money. This is partly true. It is a fact that those who eat a varied and well-balanced diet may not need a dietary/health supplement. However, there are many people who do not regularly eat well-balanced diets, and at particular times in their lives may require greater amounts of certain nutrients than their diets provide.
The supplement industry has grown by billions of dollars in the last 20 years so the trend of continuous growth will continue. According to the Sports Nutrition and Weight-Loss Report 2001, sports nutrition and weight-loss products reached sales totaling $8.65 billion in 2000, or 17 percent of the $49.7 billion U.S. nutrition industry. The report also states during the first decade of the 21st century, aggregated annual sports nutrition and weight-loss product sales will amount to an estimated $138 billion.
"Weight-loss products are very popular these days too," Kaufman says. "Some health-care professionals and government officials are calling the problem of obesity in America an epidemic."
An estimated 40 million people are classified as obese. About $240 billion per year is spent for the treatment of obesity-related conditions. Many operators say weight-loss products are easy to push, especially if staff members use them. Operators should be leery of weight-loss products that contain ephedra, however, because recent studies suggest that certain people could experience heart problems
The challenge in profiting from nutritional supplements is choosing the right products and learning how to merchandise them effectively. Also, remember the importance of quality.
The average tanning customer is a health-conscious adult between the ages of 18 and 49 who spends an average of $600 annually on products and services designed to enhance their well being and appearance. With that in mind, selling health supplements is a "no lose" opportunity.
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