“As the presidential campaign heats up, businesses of all stripes are trying to tap into consumers’ fervor over the candidates. Also on Tuesday, New York Sports Clubs said that it has launched a special ‘election-themed’ workout program dubbed Voterobics 2008. Meanwhile, New York Sports Club’s Voterobics has its own election season gimmick. The Voterobics exercise program, offered from September until Election Day, will feature instructors resembling Barack Obama and John McCain leading participants in balance exercises and push-ups. At a time when overall, health club membership is on the decline—memberships dropped nearly 1% in New York State between 2006 and 2007, and 3% nationally, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association—such gimmicks could bring in new blood. New York Sports Club did the same promotion with George W. Bush and John Kerry look-a-likes in 2004.
Retail industry experts are not surprised by the rush to cash in on the excitement over this year’s presidential campaign.
’Because of the candidates and who they are, as well as all of the media attention, we’ll see a lot more marketing incentives,’ said Michael Londrigan, chair of fashion merchandising at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising.
He noted that even Trojan is passing out condoms at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.”
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080827/FREE/808279977/1061
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