The Influence of Fitness Club Culture on Attitudes Toward Joining

Background/Purpose: Regular exercise has been linked with the prevention of chronic diseases, improved self-concept, and overall well-being. Despite these benefits, a large proportion of Americans do not engage in recommended levels of physical activity. As a result, a number of researchers have investigated the efficacy of public health announcements in promoting exercise, and equivocal results have been reported. In this study, we furthered this research agenda by considering different foci of fitness club advertisements on subsequent outcomes. Organizational behavior literature suggests that organizations convey their culture and values through their external communications. Thus, we expected that the culture conveyed (i.e., wellness or appearance) in advertisements would have both additive and interactive effects on potential consumers' subsequent attitudes toward that fitness club, which in turn, would significantly influence their interest in joining.

Methods: A 2 (culture: wellness, appearance) by 2 (model sex) experiment was conducted to test the study predictions. Participants (n = 200 students; 45 women, 155 men) reviewed an advertisement for a new fitness club and then responded to questionnaire items pertaining to their demographics and exercise patterns, social physique anxiety, interpretations of the club's focus, perceived culture fit, and interest in joining the club.

Analysis/Results: Moderated regression was used to test the hypotheses, controlling for model sex and the participants' sex, age, and social physique anxiety. The controls accounted for 1% (p = .74) of the variance in perceived club culture fit. After accounting for these effects, the first order effects accounted for an additional 21% (p < .001) of the variance, and a wellness focus was significantly related to culture fit (b = .50, p < .001). Finally, the interaction term was significant (b = .14, p < .05). Simple slope analysis indicated that perceived fit with the club's culture was highest when there was an emphasis on both wellness and appearance. Such a perceived fit is important, as it was reliably related to interest in joining the club (b = .69, p < .001).

Conclusions: The findings are meaningful for fitness club marketing efforts and the promotion of physical activity: reactions among potential exercisers and consumers were most positive when the club had a perceived focus on both wellness and appearance. This study extends past research in this area, which has failed to consider the possible interactive effects of varying advertisement foci. Future researchers should also consider examining this pattern when engaging in social marketing efforts.