Gymshark's billion dollar influencer community.

 -Himanshu Chaturvedi.

Simply Business

 

Great companies are built a result of right influence on the customer. "We said it."

And why? because the pull strategy through influencer marketing is what made Gymshark,  a sports apparel brand started by Birmingham U.K.-born Ben Francis in 2012. 

 

The company just hit a $1.3 billion valuation after securing investment from General Atlantic for a 21% stake. 

But hey "its no big news that a company hit a billion dollars in valuation" yeah that's not the fascinating fact here, whats fascinating is that, this was the company's first ever investment round.

And influencer marketing played a huuuuuuuuuuuge role. 

Started as something that the lads had fun doing, Ben Francs learnt sewing clothes from his grand mother. 

They loved receiving orders and fulfilling them. They sewed clothes that they wanted to wear.  they priced the products at what sounded right.

Humble beginnings led to Humble mottos. 

“It takes zero talent to work hard and zero talent to stay humble; if you get those things right you will always do well in your journey.” 

Says their mastermind CEO Steve Hewitt. 

Now apart from the moral lessons the young  lets out an important secret to Gymshark's success.

Own as much of the supply chain you can. 

 

Dissecting the shark.

Gymshark has a crystal clear target audience of 18-25-year-olds whose lifestyle revolves around fitness, fashion and music. They do not deviate from the audience and everything they do is aimed at their needs.

Their company's motto of staying humble is deeply instilled in the DNA of top management. The founder wrote 2000 apology letters to the customers who couldn't complete a purchase due to website outage.  

The lessons: Proudly exclude everyone except your target audience so you can focus solely on them. Double down on the customer experience. 

In my eyes, this company has won the emotional touch points of the customer apart from its top class garments. 

And as I am a sucker for CXM (customer experience management) this company blends  humility with the best technology. 

But what makes Gymshark an interesting case study is its community of influencers. unlike the mammoths of Nike who have CR7, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Gymshark focuses on the influencers of YouTube including Lex Griffin, Behzinga and Nikki Blackketter. 

 

They also sponsor Tik-Tok stars such as The Rybka twins. 

In fact Gymshark were the earliest adopters of the influencer marketing model. 

The next thing you know is an album of compelling photo shoots and  you've got yourself the aspirants. The ones who want to look good wearing your outfit. Want to be a part of that cult.

Francis said, “From the point of view of the athletes we work with, we want to create a real, strong team that speaks to our values. And we work with them for a long, sustained period of time.”

 

Gymshark has a strong social media presence. Infact they follow the same foot steps as Nike and Adidas follow.

Videos and images appear regularly, whenever it opens a new premises or takes a new step. 

There are professionally filmed and edited walkthroughs of Gymshark HQ, Gymshark Lifting Club, plus the in-person events and behind-the-scenes photoshoots by different members of the team.

And what i believe is that documenting stories of individuals who break the barriers is what creates a sports brand.

Nike never asks you to buy a shoe, it tells you a story with the product as a prop alongside the protagonist.  

The same strategy is what makes Gymshark the top contender for Nike and Adidas in the UK. 

So what exactly does this company teach us about infulencer marketing? 

Hire the right people for the right seats, ensure alignment with vision and values and leave them to get on with executing.

Don’t think of influencer marketing as a quick smash and grab, think of it as building relationships with people over a long period of time, for the benefit of both of your brands. 

The goal isn’t shallow and fleeting promotion. Be prepared to invest in the process and communicate you’re looking for long term. Do the research and keep standards insanely high.  

Hope you liked this edition of SimplyBizns new perspective. 

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Author: Himanshu Chaturvedi.