With a new year, fitness brands are leveraging unique promotions to compete for members, shifting from traditional resolutions to focus on the emotional benefits of working out, combating “gymtimidation” and taking aim at artificial intelligence
With a new year arrives an array of fitness brands vying for new members, leveraging their own unique promotions in a competition to see who can provide the best combination of eye-catching content, savings and workout motivation.
This year, many brands focused on reminding people about how good working out can feel, while some offered bold discounts and edgier messaging.
Athletech News breaks down the top New Year’s fitness campaigns of 2026.
An Emphasis on Feeling Good
Several brands are centering their messaging around that post-workout feeling, like PureGym’s “Feel PureGym Good” campaign, which features a character called “Glow,” who represents the buzz you get after a good sweat.
“This campaign launches our new brand strategy, Feel PureGym Good and marks a defining moment for PureGym,” said PureGym group chief customer and commercial officer Barney Harrison. “What we sell is world-class gyms at affordable prices, but what people buy is wanting to feel good about themselves.”
Meanwhile, Crunch Fitness launched its “Feel More” campaign, spearheaded by award-winning director Hype Williams and set to the famous song, “This is How We Do It.”
It’s the high-value, low-price (HVLP) operator’s latest iteration of its “Feel Good, Not Bad” mantra that debuted in 2023 with the goal of emphasizing the uplifting and empowering experience of working out at its facilities, and making members feel a part of the “No Judgments” Crunch community.
“We see stronger engagement when we tap into the emotional benefits of the Crunch experience, rather than just selling products and services,” Crunch chief marketing officer Chad Waetzig told Athletech News. “People don’t just come to the gym to work out anymore. It’s their escape, a place where they build real connections and feel like they’re a part of a community.”
Combatting ‘Resolution Fatigue’
Other brands are going for a more anti-resolution approach, citing people’s growing “resolution fatigue,” caused by exhaustion from the pressure to remake themselves or finding it hard to stick with their goals.
Retro Fitness is aiming to fight resolution fatigue with a bold free three months, spread across a 15-month period, betting big on cultivating brand loyalty and long-term retention with the major discount.
“The idea came directly from what we’ve been seeing with members year after year,” Retro Fitness chief brand officer Kim Gouch told ATN. “January is crowded with free trials, seven-day passes and quick-hit discounts, but real behavior change doesn’t happen in a week, and often not even in a month.”
Solidcore, meanwhile, is going after resolution fatigue with its “Quit the Noise” campaign, encouraging members to tune out distractions and stay locked in.
In a 30-second spot promoting the message, the boutique fitness brand zeroes in on creating a space where outside distractions fade away, including comparison, competition, judgment and perfectionism, as members are simply left with the reformer, the coach, the community and the strength participants build within its studios.
Bodybar Promotes Individual Fitness Journeys
In Bodybar Pilates’ “Reform the Rules” campaign, the brand is aiming to reinforce members’ agency over their workouts, giving people the freedom to choose a New Year offer that best fits their lifestyle.
Bodybar is claiming it breaks from industry norms that often require long-term commitments, with a promotion that reinforces the brand’s core message of “Your Workout. Your Routine. You Choose” by giving prospective members the option to pick from different offer options.
Anytime Fitness Promotes More Transformation, Less ‘Gymtimidation’
Anytime Fitness has already unveiled multiple New Year’s promotions, starting with its “Stop Searching. Start Anytime” campaign, designed for people who have put off starting their fitness journey out of intimidation.
The gym franchise collaborated with a partner agency to analyze the top 100 search terms used by people considering joining a gym to uncover the real-world worries, barriers and questions potential customers have.
Those questions included: “Am I too unfit for the gym?” “What should I wear?” and “Will everyone stare at me?”
In response, the brand is running inclusive images throughout January and embedding inclusivity into its marketing strategy, implementing small, coach-led sessions that teach new members the basics of training and give them the freedom to ask any questions they may have.
All Anytime clubs will also introduce a Suggestion Search Box, which invites members to submit questions to coaches anonymously, without fear of judgment.
“We know how intimidating that first step into a gym can feel and how often people try to research their way to confidence before they walk through the door,” director of marketing at Anytime Fitness UK and Ireland Katy Cockerill told Health Club Management.
“This campaign is about meeting people where they already are: online, full of doubt, asking questions they don’t want anyone to hear,” she continued. “We want to show them that those fears are completely normal. You don’t need to be ready to start. You just need to start.”
Equinox’s Edgy AI Campaign
Luxury lifestyle and fitness giant Equinox always enters the new year with a bold statement, and 2026 is no different.
In a new ad campaign targeting artificial intelligence, the brand urges consumers to “question everything but yourself.”
Equinox shared a series of AI-generated teaser posts across its social media channels, including imagery such as gold chain-wearing babies water skiing and models strutting down a runway in ridiculous inflatable costumes.
Equinox also released a series of video hits — including a night-vision clip capturing Bigfoot dancing — on a sign-up page for prospective Equinox members. The same landing page warns that deception is “all around us,” while noting that “the body doesn’t lie.”
“Equinox delivers what technology could never: the feeling of being fully alive,” the page reads.
Zumba Embraces the Power of Music
Zumba’s new global campaign, “Your Song Is On. The World Can Wait,” soundtracked by the global hit “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, captures what the dance-fitness brand has long been known for: high energy, infectious beats and workouts that feel more like a release than a routine.
In a 30-second spot promoting the campaign, Zumba spotlights the feeling when the familiar beat of “Gasolina” takes over, pulling people out of everyday routines (from grocery shopping and bus rides to a self-care waxing session) and drawing them into a vibrant, communal class.
“In 2026, our focus is on building on that foundation and raising the bar even higher with another powerful brand campaign that reaffirms Zumba’s impact and position in the industry,” Zumba chief marketing officer Carolina Moraes told ATN. “We’ll keep investing behind the Zumba brand to stay visible and culturally connected, while deepening our partnerships with gym operators around the world so more people can experience Zumba where they already work out.”
Only time will tell which brand approach will successfully capitalize on the New Year’s fitness boom, but new data from Apple shows there could be ample opportunity beyond January for operators. A multiyear study of Apple Watch users revealed that New Year’s motivation lasts longer than previously thought, with higher activity levels sustained into February and March.
