Taking an existing product, that was failing to sell to its desired audience, we worked to reframe its benefits, adjust its positioning and, by identifying its unique, defensible, relevance, got it the attention and uptake it deserved.
Duration: 6 weeks
5 devoted team members
+ personality and positioning
+ proposition story capture
+ key messages
+ look and feel
The Brief
A major sporting body wanted to look for new ways to generate revenue, beyond that of sponsorship. To do so they developed an ‘off-the-shelf’ wellness program, designed, over a defined period of time, to reduce a participant’s body age. Yet, even with the backing of experts, a powerful technology stack, a defined need and the promise of positive change, the challenge was immense.
Wellbeing, including elements such as fitness, weight management, nutrition and sleep is a hugely competitive and saturated space; launching a new and ‘unproven’ proposition to a business audience would be no easy task.
Our challenge? To help this well-known name stretch into a new space. To give them credibility and relevance by successfully positioning and differentiating them in a crowded and established market.
Our response
Before we could get to ‘the sell’ we first needed to give the brand the right to play. Uncover what it was, beyond their connectivity to elite sport, that would enable them to be considered as a viable solutions provider for corporates looking to improve the wellness of their employees.
To make their move into the corporate wellness world the story needed to be a logical and relevant one. It was for this reason that our strategy wasn’t about creating brand attachment but rather proving the logic of its presence.
We considered that while the performance, fitness and even health of an athlete is something to be admired, it is not necessarily seen as something (or perhaps desired) to be mirrored by everyone. Powering and promoting the proposition with the help of athletes was obvious, but the motivation behind taking on and continuing with a company-set wellness program was not. Until we watched those taking part in the pilot …
By watching, listening and tracking how people chose to interact and use the materials and tools they were given, it became apparent that it was the conversations, comparisons and camaraderie of those invested in the program that was strengthening the affiliation, and level of commitment shown by others. It wasn’t just about an individual’s outcome, it was about the shared experience of getting to it.
What started as a tale about performance, health, nutrition and body age, turned into a proposition that offered the spirit and strength of teamwork as a tangible benefit to both business (our ultimate buyer) and individual.
In a world of disparate teams, flexible working and increased digital interaction, we were willing to believe (and test) that a group’s joint effort to achieve reward, recognition and personally good outcomes would appeal to corporate partners who were looking/willing to invest in their people.
Add to this that the program and results outlined were coming directly from an organisation known for building one of the most loved and successful teams in the world, meant that a unique story and the author’s right to play was clear.
The Outcome
A story that made a lot of sense - logically, emotionally and commercially. A positioning that could be uniquely claimed by our client and recognised easily by their partners.
Upon completing the platform’s brand story, we continued on with the team to support the update of the program’s (and app’s) messaging and spent a further two weeks developing the UI’s look and feel, supplying their development partner with a pattern library that was ready for application.
Post further trials earlier this year the program has now been used by more than 80 teams across 3 different multinational companies. And, with the average participant’s body age decreasing by more than 5 years upon program completion, we think it’s fair to say that this really is a story of substance.
