mba 620 week 7 assignment - camila fernandes bento

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Camila Fernandes Bento

Lynn University

• Life Time – My Big Ticket Purchase…………....………….……….………………………….….…03

• Life Time – Service Statement…...……………….………………..….…….…...……………….…04

• Life Time – How They Caught Me?..…………………………………..……………………….……05

• Life Time – 10 Reasons……………..………………………………….……………………….……06

• Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………..14

• References…………………………………………………....……………………………..…..…….15

SUMMARY

LIFE TIME – MY BIG TICKET PURCHASE

Life Time is more than a regular gym, it is an athletic club located at Yamato Road,

Boca Raton, FL. I use this service regularly and consider this gym a “fixed” big ticket

purchase. The membership of this club costs $139 monthly, plus $99 for the initial

registration. If you compare the price of other gyms in Boca Raton, you will easily notice

the difference on value. But Life Time is worth every penny!

LIFE TIME – SERVICE STATEMENT

Life Time is a privately held, comprehensive health and lifestyle company that

offers a personalized and scientific approach to long-term health and wellness.

Through its portfolio of distinctive resort-like destinations, athletic events and

corporate health services. (…) In addition to traditional health club offerings, most

Life Time fitness centers include an expansive selection of premium amenities and

services in a resort-like setting. Amenities include indoor and outdoor swimming

pools, basketball and racquet courts, personal training and group fitness

programming, child care centers, cafes and spas. (Life Time, 2016)

LIFE TIME – HOW THEY CAUGHT ME?

01. Word-of-Mouth

02. My First Impression

03. Personal Selling

04. Group Classes

05. High-End Service

06. Unique

07. Luxury Club

08. Membership Benefits

09. Life Time Apps

10. Life Time – Marketing Communication Strategy

Find bellow 10 reasons why I feel motivated in paying every month this “big ticket purchase”, to be

explained later each of them:

LIFE TIME – 10 REASONS…

1. Word-of-Mouth: A neighbor told me about this gym. The way he spoke intrigued me,

so I decided to know it.

Word-of-mouth communication once was a well-kept marketing secret, but it has

became a marketing platform in its own right. Most people prefer to do business with

people they know, like and trust. Therein lies the power of word-of-mouth advertising.

As you develop a reliable product or a reputation for serving people well, you will

enjoy the benefit of increased referrals and testimonials. (Anselmo, 2010, p. 176)

“Consumers use word-of-mouth to talk about dozens of brands each day, from media

and entertainment products such as movies, TV shows, and publications to food

products, travel services, and retail stores”. (Louise, 2006)


2. My First Impression: After receiving tips from my neighbor, I decided to visit this

gym. It was my first contact with my future big ticket purchase. I was referred to talk to

the Member Engagement Manager, and my first impression was very good.

Marketing communications today increasingly occur as a dialogue between the

company and its customers. Companies must ask not only “How should we reach

our customers?” but also “How should our customers reach us?” and “How our

customers reach each other?” (Kotler & Keller, 2012, p. 261 )


3. Personal Selling: The membership manager did an excellent job. He explained me

everything, showed me the gym, spa, coffee and beauty shop, and all facilities included.

Salespeople are the company’s personal link to its customers. In designing the sales

force, the company must develop sales force objectives, strategy, structure, size,

and compensation. (…) Effective salespeople require more than instinct; they must

be trained in methods of analysis and customer management so they become active

order getters, not passive order takers. (Kotler & Keller, 2012, p. 268)

4. Group Classes: I was tired of working out by myself at my condo’s gym. I needed a

new motivation and group classes would be perfect. Life Time offers a variety of group

classes that you can check online; which schedule is updated every week.

5. High-End Service: Selecting effective professionals

is the heart of any successful company. When these

professionals are the center of your service, you have

the best possible offer to your clients. Life Time has

certified fitness professionals to support the health and

fitness goals and aspirations of its members. These

professionals are the daily image of the gym.


6. Unique: Life Time is a unique gym in this neighborhood. Their strategy is to offer high

quality service for their target market. More like a resort than a gym, Life Time offers

luxurious environment where everything is top notch.

7. Luxury Club: Life Time offers spa, coffee and beauty services; also

they promote a variety of events and entertainments for their members.

When you walk-in to this club you can see these services ads everywhere.

They have displays ads, catalogs, magazines, coupons, testimonials,

press release, banners ads, social media and websites that provide all

information about their services. In addition, they constantly create events

and entertainments to engage their members. Life Time’s professionals

have the role to communicate them.


Travel hold price: They developed small initiatives that created huge value for their

customers. When you are travelling, for instance, instead of paying the full amount, you

will pay $10/month to lock and maintain your membership.

“LTBuck$”: They created Life Time dollars to use on any service or products in the

health store. You receive “LTBuck$” monthly and at the time you enrolled. It is a nice

loyalty strategy. Thus, they stimulate members’ behavior, motivating them to purchase

their services and products.

8. Membership Benefits:

12 Visitors Passes/year: They give these passes to every member. This is an

interesting marketing trial. As a member, you can invite your spouse and friends to work

out with you. Life Time can reach the right consumer in the right place with this strategy!


9. Life Time Apps: Customers can access all their membership benefits in one place.

They can browse class schedules and add them to their personal calendar. As well,

members may watch workout videos, view exclusive offers, and check events updated.

“New technologies have encouraged companies to move from mass communication

to more targeted, personalize two-way communications”. (Kotler & Keller, 2012, p. 261)


10. Life Time – Marketing Communication Strategy: The way I see it, Life Time has

been creating marketing communication process through the “Innovation -Adoption

Model”. Their goal is making their target audience pass over cognitive, affective, and

behavioral stages. Where, at the end, their audience can try Life Time services for 2

weeks or money back guaranteed.


STAGESAIDA

ModelHierarchy-of-Effects Model

Innovation-Adoption Model

Communications Model

Cognitive Attention

Awareness

Knowledge

Awareness

Exposure

Reception

Cognitive response

AffectiveInterest

Desire

Linking

Preference

Conviction

Interest

Evaluation

Attitude

Intention

Behavior Action PurchaseTrial

AdoptionBehavior

(Kotler & Keller, 2012, p. 231)

As far as I could know Life Time, they are making a great job, differentiate and create value

for their service. Their marketing communication strategy provide clarity, consistency, and all the

employees send the same message to their customer. They deliver exactly what they sell. They

create customer value, satisfaction and loyalty. I am delighted with my “fixed big ticket purchase”.

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Anselmo, D. (2010). Marketing Demystified. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., US.

Life Time. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from https://www.lifetimefitness.com/en.html

Louise, A. (2006). What We Talk About When We Talk About Brands. New York Times.

Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L. (2012). A Framework for Marketing Management (fifth edition).

Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

https://www.lifetimefitness.com/en.html

mba 620 week 7 assignment - camila fernandes bento

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