EXCLUSIVE

Fitness marketplace Hussle has signed a partnership deal with McDonald's, which will see it offer a fitness-based prize as part of the fast-food chain's annual Monopoly promotion.

McDonald's selected Hussle as its gym partner of choice – rather than a single health club chain – as part of a competitive tender process.

The deal means thousands of operators are likely to benefit from the campaign.

It is the first time a health club offering has been included in the annual giveaway, which is seen by 3.5m customers a day and played by more than seven million people each year.

The deal will give McDonald’s customers the chance to win access to any of Hussle’s 2,000+ partner health clubs and leisure centres.

Winners will be given a code to enter into Hussle’s website, where they can pick the most suitable club from a nationwide selection.

Hussle's Jamie Owens said: “Partnering with such a colossal commercial brand will give unprecedented exposure to our industry.

"It will mean health clubs will be showcased to a third of the UK population (3.5 million customers a day) over the six weeks of the Monopoly promotion at McDonald’s restaurants.

“This partnership will open up a whole new 'joiner channel' for health clubs in a notoriously tricky to reach age group, as the Monopoly audience is predominantly made up of 16-24-year-olds.”

"The Hussle Membership Conversion Service then actively encourages them to join the clubs they visit."

The Monopoly giveaway, first launched in 2005, works along similar rules as the classic Monopoly board game. Customers collect game pieces that appear as stickers on food and drinks packaging, with each piece representing a tile on the board. When customers collect a set, they win a prize.

There are also 'instant win' game pieces, which can be redeemed straight away, and Online Win game pieces, which encourage customers to engage with an Online Win microsite to win more prizes.

Owens told HCM that partnering with a fast-food chain takes the company into "unchartered territory", but that the potential to reach new audiences is a compelling one, saying: "The old adage is true – if we keep doing the same things, marketing fitness to the same people, we’ll always get those same people through our doors.

"If gyms are going to go mainstream, we need to partner with mainstream brands. This campaign is uncharted territory but it’s also an exciting opportunity to directly target new customers.

"This partnership with McDonald's parades fitness in front of seven million people we wouldn’t necessarily get to speak to otherwise.”

What are your thoughts on Hussle working with McDonald's? We'd value your views. Write to the editor of HCM at a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected].

Look out for HCM's feature on the health club sector collaborating with the fast food sector in our next issue.

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