3D Fitness: Comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communications Report

This report presents an integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan for 3D Fitness, a new fitness center chain. It begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction to the sports and fitness industry and the business venture of 3D Fitness. A SWOT analysis identifies the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The report then evaluates the target market, segmenting it geographically, demographically, psychographically, and behaviorally. It outlines IMC objectives, including communications and sales goals, and details the creative approach, message strategy, and advertising appeals. The report considers various IMC options such as direct marketing, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, and advertising across different media. It also includes a proposed IMC budget and concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations. The report includes references to support the analysis and recommendations.

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Discussion..................................................................................................................................5
SWOT Analysis.....................................................................................................................5
 Strengths......................................................................................................................6
 Weaknesses..................................................................................................................7
 Opportunities...............................................................................................................7
 Threats.........................................................................................................................8
Evaluation of Target Market..................................................................................................8
Determination of IMC Objectives........................................................................................10
Communications Objectives............................................................................................11
Sales Objectives...............................................................................................................12
Approach of setting Objectives of IMC...............................................................................12
Creative approach/ Message strategy...................................................................................12
Message Strategy.............................................................................................................13
Advertising Appeal..........................................................................................................13
Advertising Execution Styles...........................................................................................14
IMC options considered.......................................................................................................14
Direct Marketing..............................................................................................................15
Sales Promotion...............................................................................................................15
Personal selling................................................................................................................16

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Public Relations...............................................................................................................16
Advertising.......................................................................................................................17
Television.........................................................................................................................17
Newspaper........................................................................................................................17
Magazine..........................................................................................................................18
Outdoor/ Transportation...................................................................................................18
Internet.............................................................................................................................19
Social media.....................................................................................................................19
YouTube...........................................................................................................................20
IMC budget..........................................................................................................................20
Conclusion................................................................................................................................23
References................................................................................................................................24

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Introduction
Sports and fitness has emerged to be a booming business owing to the global trend
among individuals becoming health conscious (Chekhovska, 2017). In this aspect, a business
venture in this industry may prove to be successful owing to the vast potential customer base.
3D Fitness is a new chain of fitness centers owned by the sports and fitness enthusiasts
Naomi Gibbs and Nigel Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe completed his undergraduate degree in exercise
science and sports from UK after which he had become active in international triathlon
events. He also had the experience of working as a personal trainer. Gibbs belongs from a
middle class family; and has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Sydney.
Naomi is also observed to be a sports enthusiast having represented New South Wales in
women’s soccer at the state level. After having worked in a fitness center during her years of
study, she was additionally offered an administrative position. For this purpose, she has work
experience in administrative and managerial roles in various fitness centers. Ratcliffe and
Gibbs met at an international triathlon event in Sydney, and owing to their shared interest in
fitness and sports, decided upon the venture of 3D Fitness.
The core of the business plan consisted of the gym facilities established in five
locations, along with associated facilities like fitness cafes, beauty and health salons. The
primary location for the fitness centers have been strategically chosen so as to the
requirements of the target market. The first location was chosen to be near the Sydney CBD
for the busy city based workers. The locations of the other five centers were chosen to be
based north, south, east and west in the suburban areas, namely Chatswood, Hurstville, Bondi
Junction and Parramatta. The fitness café were planned to be established alongside the fitness
centers for the purpose of creating a social space for individuals to bond with each other after
working out at the gyms. A variety of products would be made available in the café including

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light meals and other alternatives for quick nutrition boost after the sessions of exercise. The
health and beauty salons would provide the third dimension to the business plan, which
would provide therapeutic massages and other services.
Discussion
SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis is considered to be a strategizing technique used to determine the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. Such an evaluation can
aid the organization to analyze the various aspects of project planning and business
competition (Gürel & Tat, 2017). The identification of the external and internal forces
working upon the organization are also essential to determine the extent to which the targets
and objectives of the venture will be met. The following section will therefore provide a
SWOT analysis of 3D Fitness, in order to identify the key areas of strengths and opportunities
that can be built upon and the weakness and threats that the organization must tackle in order
to ensure its success in the market.
Strengths Weaknesses
 Advanced equipment and facilities
available at fitness centers
 Provisions of customizable packages
for the clients
 Wide range of items available at the
fitness café
 Highly trained staff at the fitness
center and health-beauty salon
 Healthy and clean and secure
environment
 Affordability of the clients
pertaining to prices for services
 Flexibility of promotion and pricing
 Customer turnover rate
 Unpopularity due to poor brand
identity
 Lack of customer satisfaction
pertaining to long term packages

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 Facilities like changing rooms,
toilets, showers and lockers in the
fitness centers
 Child minding services available for
clients with children
 Facilities of membership and free
trials
 Flexible operating hours
Opportunities Threats
 Increasing health consciousness
among individuals
 Long term fitness packages for
clients
 Use of advanced equipment to gain a
competitive edge in the market
 Provision of training by popular
personalities in the field of fitness
and sports
 Potential of sponsorships from
various fitness and sports events
 Potential partnerships in the similar
field
 Promotion of brand through
advertisement and other marketing
strategies
 Possibility of a slow-down in
economy
 Brand loyalty of the clients towards
other established competitors
 Change in the preferences of the
clients
 High prices due to costliness of
rental services
 Language barrier among the staff
and the clients in fitness centers in
regions with high Asian population
From the above provided table, the following deductions can be made regarding the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for 3D Fitness:
 Strengths – Strengths refer to the internal resources and attributes that bring about a
successful outcome for a business venture of an organization (Stavroulakis &
Papadimitriou, 2017). The various strengths that could be observed in the case of 3D

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Fitness includes the use of advanced technology and facilities available at the fitness
centers in the urban and suburban areas. Such facilities include the use of gym
equipment and machinery of the highest quality provided by the recognized brand
Healthstream. Furthermore, the fitness centers and other facilities of 3D Fitness is
made accessible to the customers through strategic planning of locations. Other
provisions of the business plan include additional facilities for the customers, which
are offered at affordable prices. 3D Fitness aims to provide three-dimensional services
to the customers and for this purpose, they also intend to provide for the requirements
of clients with children. The flexible operating hours and highly trained staff also add
to the benefits given to the clients.
 Weaknesses – The analysis of the weaknesses faced by a business venture helps in
the evaluation of the internal resources and attributes that prevent its successful
outcome. The evaluation of the weaknesses in the planning and strategizing of the
activities undertaken by 3D Fitness is essential to determine the key areas which need
improvement. The weaknesses of the venture includes factors pertaining to poor brand
identity and lack of customer satisfaction in long-term fitness packages. As 3D
Fitness is a new entrant in the sports and fitness industry of Australia, they must
strategize means for promoting their brand efficiently so as to gain a competitive
advantage.
 Opportunities – Opportunities refer to the external factors and resources that can be
capitalized by the organization so as to gain an advantage from them (Phadermrod,
Crowder & Wills, 2019). The trend of increasing health consciousness among
individuals is a major identifiable opportunity for 3D Fitness. Moreover, the provision
of various facilities to the customers including long-term fitness packages and scope
of bonding among the clients of the fitness centers. Other opportunities for the

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business venture also include efficient means of promotion and creation of popular
brand identity by providing the services of popular and highly skilled trainers. Such
brand identity may further prompt sponsorships from several organizations in the field
of sports and fitness. The various facilities provided by the venture will not only help
in gaining customers but also induce brand loyalty among them.
 Threats – Threats for an organization involve the external factors that have the
capability of disrupting the success of its business activities (Phadermrod, Crowder &
Wills, 2019). The competitive nature of the sports and fitness industry stands as a
major threat to the success of the venture of 3D Fitness. This further entails the
presence of major competitors in the market in addition to the threat of new entrants.
Owing to the fact that 3D Fitness is a new entrant in the market, they might not be
able to gain a loyal customer base initially. Moreover, the facilities provided by the
existing popular and established competitors in the market may attract the majority of
the customers. To overcome the challenge of such threats, 3D Fitness must strategize
means of efficient promotion and branding in order to ensure their success.
Evaluation of Target Market
Target market refers to the particular group of consumers towards whom the products
and services offered by an organization is aimed at (Dolnicar, Grün & Leisch, 2018). The
concept of target market thus entails within its purview the segmentation of such groups to
devise efficient means of allocating effort and resources. The concept of market segmentation
involves the division of the consumer base for a business organization or its market in order
to evaluate the groups of potential customers on the basis of shared characteristics (Camilleri,
2018). Such shared characteristics may include the aspects of geography, demography,
psychography and behaviors of the customers (Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019). The significance
of the process of market segmentation for a business organization lies in its ability to

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determine what kind of strategies or business decisions must be undertaken to meet the needs
of such target group of customers. Identification of the high yielding segments of customers
also provides the scope of growth in business and profitability for the organization. In the
competitive environment of the sports and fitness industry it is therefore essential for 3D
Fitness to identify its target market in order to ensure the optimization of performance and
profitability.
Geographic
Suburban and urban areas
Demographic
Male and female individuals within the age
group of 18 to 45, with middle to high
income
Psychographic
Health conscious and active individuals
Behavioral
Individuals with optimistic and pro-active
attitude having an interest towards a healthy
lifestyle
Table 1: Market Segmentation of 3D Fitness
The above given table shows the market segmentation of the business venture of 3D
Fitness. According to the table, the geographic segmentation of the business presents that the
services provided caters to the needs of the individuals living in urban and suburban areas.
For this purpose, the various locations of the fitness centers and adjoining fitness cafes and
health and beauty salons where chosen to be either in the urban areas or the adjoining
suburban areas. The business venture has also considered the aspect of transportation and
connectivity in selecting its areas of operations. This is mainly due the locational advantage,
which the venture will provide to increase the frequency of footfalls in the venue.

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The main target demography of the fitness centers is by Gender where both female
and male are facilitated. In this aspect, the facilities provided by 3D Fitness caters to the
needs of individuals between the age group of 18 and 45. This means that the venture can
provide its services to a wide range of individuals and has further scope of increasing its
customer base through the help of promotions. Another parameter of the segment is the
income levels of the customers of the 3D Fitness facilities. As per the table, the facilities cater
to the interests of the individuals with middle and high income levels. The high quality of
services provided and technology used in the facilities requires costing them at high prices,
which can be afforded by people with high per capita disposable income (Dale & Plunkett,
2017).
The psychographic segmentation shows that the facilities provided by 3D Fitness
targets the customers with health consciousness and the desire to remain active and fit.
Similarly, the behavioral segmentation also shows that the behaviors of the target segment of
3D Fitness is that with an interest towards a healthy lifestyle. The attitude of the customers is
optimistic and proactive in nature.
Determination of IMC Objectives
The primary objective of Integrated Marketing Communications is to integrate the
various means of communication between a business organization and its customers
(Blakeman, 2018). Such means and channels may include advertising, social media, sales
promotions and the like (Andrews & Shimp, 2017). The purpose of Integrated Marketing
Communications is to build the awareness and attention among the customers. This is turn
further facilitates in the generation of interest among the customers regarding the products or
services provided by the business organization. The goal of such an interest is to increase the
demand for the service and product and build a larger customer base through increased sales
(Harmeling, Moffett, Arnold & Carlson, 2017). The objectives of Integrated Marketing

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Communications can be therefore divided into two broad segments, namely communications
objectives and sales objectives.
Communications Objectives – Communications based objectives of Integrated Marketing
Communications can be describes as means through which the business organization chooses
to make the customers aware about the products and services that are provided by it (Finne &
Grönroos, 2017). Such communication provides the incentive and interest for the consumers
to gain useful information about the product features and nature of services before they
purchase them. There are several stages that the customer may undergo in this process of
communication that may be described as cognitive, affective and conative. The cognitive
stage involves the process of gaining knowledge; affective stage involves the response of the
consumers to such knowledge; and the conative stage involves the actions taken by the
consumers as a result of the knowledge acquired (Haugtvedt, Herr & Kardes, 2018). The
business venture of 3D Fitness may undertake a process of communication based strategy to
make the customers and clients on Australia aware about the services provided by them. Such
awareness can be brought about through promotions and advertisements. The venture intends
to reach out to a mass of 20,000 individuals within the first twelve months of its launch and
then gradually increase their customer base. The following objectives can be made for 3D
Fitness within the first twelve months of its operations:
 Using advertising tools like thorough fitness and sports magazines, radio, magazines
and television to reach out to the majority of the 20,000 target customers.
 Communicating the benefits of the services provided by the facilities of 3D Fitness to
the target customers through effective means of communication.
 Creating an optimistic feeling and favorable attitude among the target customers
regarding the features and quality of equipment used in the facilities through
promotion via social media platforms.