When Becky Stern, director of wearable electronics at Adafruit Industries
says, “Having technology on you, around you, inside you 24/7 is going
to be totally commonplace,” she's right (check out the video below).
The resulting implications for society and whole industries in general is
immense. The melding of the physical and digital worlds continues and what it
means for health clubs, fitness, and wellness in general is quite
interesting. Apple's upcoming IWatch, Google Glass, and other advancing
technologies will all enable increased digital connectivity. Wearable
technologies are coming to the mainstream. This next new era of devices will
take us places that few might imagine and will likely replace the smartphone
at some point.
So what does this mean for fitness and health clubs ? I hope to find out.
When Google selected me, along with 8,000 others... (more)
Are you preparing for the future of connecting with customers ? Follow some
of these 8 ideas to take advantage of important marketing trends and
strategies for 2013 and beyond. Please tell me what you think.
1. Integrate Your Message And The News
Figuring out ways to inject your brand into breaking news that generates
media coverage, builds more awareness and creates credibility is a great
strategy. Acting fast to develop a connection between a hot story and your
brand is key. Using Google alerts or other monitoring tools to stay on top of
the latest trending information is a goo... (more)
This week the former Apple and Target darling, Ronald B. Johnson, was shown
the door by J.C. Penney’s board of directors. After 17 months of
attempting to remake the Penney’s brand, Johnson failed, at least in
the near term, as sales and cash flow plummeted amid his reinvention of the
business model.
Johnson’s story and Penney’s plight provide great lessons on the
challenges facing businesses and industries in today’s atmosphere of
uncertainty. Consumer habits are evolving so much and the buying experience
is undergoing a revolution that cuts across... (more)
There are some leaders in the health club and fitness industry I really
admire. The admiration might come from their accomplishments; who they are as
people; or because of their generosity. Few stick out for all three reasons
and that is why I was delighted to have some face time with Chuck Runyon,
co-founder of Anytime Fitness, at IHRSA this year because he is someone I
admire for all three.
Chuck Runyon has an almost "rebellion" like style . His active participation
on twitter and of course his at times outspoken views are appealing to me.
He's someone who likes to shake thin... (more)
Yes that is me in a coffee shop in Amsterdam and no not one of THOSE Coffee
Shops ;) . I love coffee and was in that business for six years running a
chain of cafes and a full roasting operation. So heading to Amsterdam I
always enjoy some great espresso, after all Amsterdam is where coffee was
spread around the world from in the 17th and 18th centuries. But that's not
why I went this time. It was for a more interesting reason.
When one of the biggest players in the global fitness business invites you to
come along to Europe and lend a hand, well who's to say no ? Getting to meet... (more)
Jim Shepherd
Marc Cohn
Michael Roshak
Walter Hinton
Walt Robertson
Akshat Singh
Chris Shaul
Esmeralda Swartz
