Get A Move On
Fitness clubs can be dirty places. Diseases like staph and extreme flus are often transmitted through sweat and dead skin cells, making soiled gym equipment ripe with infection. Exercise enthusiasts and fitness club owners must take precautions to make sure they are following proper gym etiquette and also keeping themselves healthy. Use this breakdown of the best and most sanitary promotional gym products to keep your fitness clients healthy and wealthy.
1. TOWELS
Why They Are The Best:
Aaron Gunderson, national accounts for Pro Towels Etc., Pittsburgh, noted that exercise institutions know the health risks of shared equipment, so they turn to anti-microbial towels like the Fitness Towel with CleenFreek (pictured below). "[The towel] comes standard with CleenFreek anti-microbial technology that offers built-in protection from bacteria and fungus," he said. "The continuous protection will last the useful life of the towel and help fight MRSA, staph, germs and odor."
The anti-microbial treatment can make an imprint difficult, but not if you know the best imprint methods. "We use a water-based ink when imprinting on the towels, which gives the finished product a soft feel," said Gunderson. For colored towels, Gunderson mentioned two printing options. "A color-on-color imprint is achieved when imprinting a shade darker than the color of the towel," he said. "A prolucent imprint is achieved when imprinting to get a lighter color imprint than the color of the towel."
Target Markets:
Gyms are not the only companies looking for sanitary exercise environments. Gunderson listed school athletic departments, physical therapy centers and casinos as good sells.
Example Promotion:
"A new fitness club was opening and needed a gift to give to new members when they registered. Discovering that it would be too difficult to obtain all the sizes prior to registration, they needed to find an item that would be a universal size.
"The solution was found in two items that would work very well for this project: a water bottle and fitness towel. The fitness towel was decorated with the logo of the club on each end. It was a great choice as a very practical 'one size fits all' item.
"The CleenFreek Anti-microbial Towel option was added to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungus, mold and mildew. The fitness club wanted to show their concern for the safety and wellness of the clients and the CleenFreek Option became a great addition. It will keep the towels cleaner and fresher between washes and provide continuous protection that will last the useful life of the towel. Pro Towels Etc. offered the CleenFreek Anti-microbial option to keep the towels cleaner and fresher. Also, the shipment arrived in plenty of time for the grand opening."
—Aaron Gunderson, national accounts for Pro Towels Etc.
2. DUFFEL BAGS
Why They Are The Best:
"Today I am finding that health and fitness has become a lifestyle choice and as such has a larger fashion component than it used to," said Martin Lockhart, vice president of sales and marketing for Atlanta-based Justin Case. This combination of fashion and fitness has made duffel bags like the UZZI Gym/Yoga Duffel Bag (pictured on page 70) a leading workout accessory. The simulated leather material of the bag makes it fashionable while the ventilation pockets make it functional for fitness gear. Lockhart also suggested 600D nylon as a durable sports bag material and blue, black, red and neutral as good colors for the duffels. Lockhart recommended picking a durable decoration method like screen printing, embroidery, heat transfers or debossing.
Target Markets:
The companies best suited for athletic duffel promotions are actually not local gyms, but large corporations looking for employee and customer incentives. "There are several large national retailers who promote health and fitness at the children's and youth level," Lockhart said. He explained why these incentives target fitness initiatives. "With health care coverage increasing in cost every year, employers would be wise to look at employee health and prevention as a way of controlling some of these costs," he said.
Example Promotion:
"A large national fitness club was seeking to entice new members by using a gift with purchase. The marketplace had become more competitive with the introduction of new fitness businesses with similar but newer facilities or fewer amenities but reduced membership prices. Due to the projected quantity required throughout their locations, it was decided a custom gym duffel bag would be an ideal solution. The duffel bag was designed with every corporate-branding and customer-centric specification in mind. The duffel bag gift with purchase, in conjunction with a new corporate branding strategy, secured many more new members than projected and the club kept its position as market leader."
—Martin Lockhart, vice president of sales and marketing, Justin Case
3. PEDOMETERS
Why They Are The Best:
Pedometers have come a long way since they first gained mainstream popularity in the 1980s. The step-recorders now have data trackers, heart monitors and other health-tracking applications. Lauri Timmons, marketing
communications, Ariel Premium Supply, St. Louis, said that these extra devices on pedometers help users maintain a healthy lifestyle. She offered the Data Trackers USB Pedometer (pictured right) as a good example. "The USB pedometer … can store the seven-day memory data that is in your pedometer on to your PC. [It is] a great tool to measure your progress," she said. Having the ability to track progress on a diet or fitness goal makes pedometers great for overall wellness campaigns.
Target Markets:
Pedometers and therapeutic products reach a wider audience than the average gym accessory. "Many senior communities have ordered products ranging from large-screen pedometers that are easy to read to our Massage uPAD, which is a massage pad with oil self-contained within the pad that works over clothing or bare skin," Timmons said. "It is helpful for arthritis, headaches, facial tension, sore backs and more."
Example Promotion:
"Ariel's Data Tracker USB Pedometer, which tracks distance walked, calories burned and has the ability to download data to a PC, was used as a sign-up gift for a summer adult fitness program. The participants of the program were required to set weekly goals for activity and weight loss. The pedometer allowed them to set and meet weekly goals during the program and could be used after the program ended."
—Lauri Timmons, marketing communications, Ariel Premium Supply