Just like the many kids they are helping to
explore the benefits of physical activity, My
Gym Enterprises is in the middle of a growth
spurt.
The franchisor of childrens fitness centers
has over 100 domestic franchises with plans for
30 more over the upcoming months.
Not only is there strong growth in the
franchise side of their business but they are
expanding their partnerships to include a
relationship with mykidstunes.com (kind of a
Napster for children), instructional videos and
the recent announcement of a live music tour
headlined by the “Sheryl Crow” of kids music,
Laurie Berkner.
“We are in the business of educating and
entertaining - and this may sound corny but it’s
true - the world’s most precious resources, our
children,” said Matt Hendison, executive vice
president of marketing and entertainment for My
Gym enterprises.
While it might not seem like a surprise that
educating children about the importance of
physical activity while providing an
entertaining place that parents can feel good
about is a winning combination, it may come as a
surprise that the marketing gurus behind this
success give a great deal of credit to the
Grassroots PR concept.
“eNR and Grassroots PR is a critical part of
our marketing and PR strategy,” Hendison said.
While advertising can stimulate brand
awareness, the key to a franchisee’s growth is
word of mouth and getting out their message in
the community.
“Time and time again, the most important
thing in growing our business is at the
grassroots level,” Hendison said. “It’s one
thing to see an ad on TV but it’s another to see
a story in the Main St. Enquirer. They have to
co- exist.”
Along with the underlying rationale of
connecting with their local communities by
delivering local news to the local media, My Gym
and their franchisees are thrilled with the
economics and simplicity of the Grassroots PR
program.
“A franchisee called it a ‘no-brainer, to use
eNR,” Hendison said.
One of the benefits of getting media coverage
in local community papers is that it can lead to
exposure in other media, Hendison said.
“These little articles resonate with other
media, who are constantly scanning and looking
for stories,” said Hendison, citing a recent
example of a New Jersey franchisee who was
featured on a local NBC affiliate after her
grand opening appeared in her local paper.
The next step in the evolution of their
Grassroots PR program is to elevate franchisee
involvement and have them focus more on stories
that affect their individual franchise. While My
Gym has been able to leverage company news -
like their affiliation with Olympic skating
legend Scott Hamilton, or their partnership with
mykidstunes.com – Hendison believes the logical
next step is to help franchisees distribute news
about their specific community involvement or
employee achievements.
Ultimately, helping his franchisees
disseminate their news will help the world’s
most precious resource.
“This program can help a lot of people and
most notably this helps us help kids,” Hendison
said.
For more information about My Gym, log on to
www.my-gym.com or call (800) 469-4967.
