2. DUFFEL BAGS
Why They Are The Best:
“Today I am finding that health and fitness has become a lifestyle choice and as such has a larger fashion component than it used to,” said Martin Lockhart, vice president of sales and marketing for Atlanta-based Justin Case. This combination of fashion and fitness has made duffel bags like the UZZI Gym/Yoga Duffel Bag (pictured on page 70) a leading workout accessory. The simulated leather material of the bag makes it fashionable while the ventilation pockets make it functional for fitness gear. Lockhart also suggested 600D nylon as a durable sports bag material and blue, black, red and neutral as good colors for the duffels. Lockhart recommended picking a durable decoration method like screen printing, embroidery, heat transfers or debossing.
Target Markets:
The companies best suited for athletic duffel promotions are actually not local gyms, but large corporations looking for employee and customer incentives. “There are several large national retailers who promote health and fitness at the children’s and youth level,” Lockhart said. He explained why these incentives target fitness initiatives. “With health care coverage increasing in cost every year, employers would be wise to look at employee health and prevention as a way of controlling some of these costs,” he said.
Example Promotion:
“A large national fitness club was seeking to entice new members by using a gift with purchase. The marketplace had become more competitive with the introduction of new fitness businesses with similar but newer facilities or fewer amenities but reduced membership prices. Due to the projected quantity required throughout their locations, it was decided a custom gym duffel bag would be an ideal solution. The duffel bag was designed with every corporate-branding and customer-centric specification in mind. The duffel bag gift with purchase, in conjunction with a new corporate branding strategy, secured many more new members than projected and the club kept its position as market leader.”
—Martin Lockhart, vice president of sales and marketing, Justin Case
