With more than 100 million registered users, it is impossible for marketers to ignore fitness app Keep, however, is the app right for every brand?
Chinese fitness and gym workout app Keep has become a massive success story in China. Launching just over three years ago, the app has built an engaged following with more than 100 million registered users and 2 million daily active users.
The app attracts both men and women predominantly aged 25 to 35 years old with users spending more time, on average, engaging with Keep (13 minutes) than with other fitness focused apps.
It’s no surprise that brands are keen to get involved with Keep in a bid to target its engaged audience of young, health conscious consumers, but is it for everyone?
Recent promotions from brands such as varied as Huawei, Yaha Coffee and Air New Zealand, reveal the wide-reaching possibilities this popular app supports. Obviously, it’s a natural fit for fitness and sports-related brands, such as apparel companies, sports drinks, protein powders and gym equipment as well as nutrition and wellness companies.
However, UMS CEO Jessica Miao believes there is huge opportunity for Australian and New Zealand brands, which are synonymous with health and fitness.
“Chinese people believe that New Zealand and Australia are very healthy countries, which produce healthy and clean produce like fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood. Chinese people trust these foods to be healthy and good quality health conscious people – like those who are using the Keep app – would be very receptive to marketing from these sorts of brands.”
Miao says Australian and New Zealand companies can use the strong brand identities of the two countries to leverage their brands on Keep to appeal to users.
She cites the recent campaign by Air New Zealand on Keep, which promoted New Zealand as being a large outdoor gym as an example of how brands can creatively approach Keep users.
“Air New Zealand used Keep to promote flights to NZ by positioning the country as a natural gym, full of fitness challenges and opportunities for Keep users. This is a great example of how brands can think outside the box to align their brands with the health and wellness conscious people on Keep,” says Miao.
Brands can utilise a range of creative approaches such as sponsoring popular KOLs on Keep or even sponsoring entire sections of the app such as the Yoga or Pilates channels. Brands can also create their own channels and team with Keep to utilise the sites social network and huge audience.
Miao says its important brands look beyond product promotions and giveaways, although these can be very successful, to think of innovative and creative ways to connect with Keep’s lucrative audience.
Read more about Keep below in our report.
