“What I will say has evolved is this approach of really tailoring how we’re driving access to fitness and how we’re driving free fitness. So the Propel Your City Project is really meant to go even deeper into that and to make sure that we are empowering all people with the resources or the access points to really enjoy fitness, to enjoy movement and to find that sense of community. We’ve always been on the ground, but the Propel Your City Project is really the next era.”
–Emily Boido, Senior Director-Marketing, Enhanced Water Brands, PepsiCo
Propel Fitness Water’s long-standing focus on the fitness space has taken a hyper-local turn with the “Propel Your City Project,” a community event program launched this summer that is offering free exercise classes for consumers in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and Los Angeles. The initiative is also helping independent gyms, running clubs, hiking groups, Pilates and yoga studios, athletic organizations and wellness communities strengthen their offerings and followings.
At each event, attendees are welcomed by a representative from the host organization and a brand ambassador. Propel created and distributed branded signage, wall graphics and equipment to be incorporated into the space during the free classes, in addition to Propel hats, t-shirts and towels as giveaways for participants.
More From Propel’s Event Portfolio:
- From Pop-ups to Property: Propel Water’s Co:Labs Fitness Festival Program Expands
- Propel Adds Live Music to its Co:Labs Fitness Events
All told, Propel is working with and supporting 15 different fitness organizations and their leaders on an individualized basis. For example, the brand helped WalkGood LA secure a centralized studio space, allowing the organization to expand its member offerings in a permanent location. In Detroit, Propel aided in expanding The Trap Studio’s Yin Nights events with djs, nighttime yoga classes and sound baths, and by doubling its equipment available for loan to make programming more widely available. In Houston, Propel worked with the BLK Beetles BIPOC wellness community to introduce its first yoga retreat, the monthly Movement & Mindfulness Experience. And in Georgia, the brand partnered with the Atlanta Run Club to host and support its weekly track events.
“We set out with a No. 1 objective of making local impact. We knew that a one-size-fits-all approach wasn’t the right path forward and that there were local organizations that are already doing the work of driving access to fitness and opportunity to move,” says Emily Boido, senior director-marketing, enhanced water brands at PepsiCo. “So we had brainstorm sessions with the different organizations that we were partnering with at the local market level and really listened to what resources would help them continue to amplify their message.”
With so many locations involved in the Propel Your City Project, each exercise class experience is different. The brand encouraged organizations to let their individuality shine through at each event, while maintaining the common goal of being welcoming and inclusive to all participants, no matter their fitness level.
Spin Through Propel Your City Project Events:
To drive awareness for the program on social media, Propel partnered with actor and brand ambassador Michael B. Jordan, a fitness enthusiast himself, who helped in identifying and spotlighting the organizations selected. His most recent Instagram post on the Propel initiative (#PropelYourCity), featuring tags of WalkGood LA and its leaders, has garnered more than 30.5 million views.
Word of mouth at the local level has been another key driver for the Propel Your City Project, as the partnering organizations have been sharing their upcoming free fitness opportunities with members and newcomers. Propel also invested in local out-of-home advertising, with QR codes on billboards directing passersby to the brand’s website for a schedule of free classes in their area.
“It’s fun to watch from afar, everybody that’s been posting on social media hydrating, high-fiving, fist-bumping [at the events]. You just get the sense that there’s really incredible energy on the ground in each of these markets, and that spirit of truly making fitness local is what is so special,” Boido says. “We often say there’s not one league or one team that really owns the fitness space. It’s really about that local connection and community.” Agency: Invisible North.
Photo credit: Propel
