After Equinox bluntly told new members they were forbidden from joining its gyms, competitors Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness responded with a much more welcoming message to those wanting to get in shape.
Equinox’s day-long We Don’t Speak January campaign on January 1, snubbing short-term members and newcomers, sparked backlash on social media. The brand’s main message to consumers: “You are not a New Year’s resolution. Your life doesn’t start at the beginning of the year. And that’s not what being part of Equinox is about.”
It’s not you, it’s January. #ItsNotFitnessItsLife pic.twitter.com/Bg6lBnSUR2
— Equinox (@Equinox) January 1, 2023
Social media users shamed the brand’s "exclusionary" messaging.
Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness took advantage of Equinox’s faux pas on Tuesday night by using the incident to lure consumers to their gyms.
Planet Fitness crafted a tweet perfectly parodying Equinox’s offending post, and stating that its gym is a “judgement free zone” that “speaks all months.”
The Judgement Free Zone speaks all months. I mean, what did January ever do to you?! https://t.co/ApF1q00DOQ pic.twitter.com/GBMkQ2B07P
— Planet Fitness (@PlanetFitness) January 4, 2023
Meanwhile, Anytime Fitness wittily responded with a play on its own name, letting people know they are welcome in its facilities anytime.
Anytime means any time. Like even January 1st.
— Anytime Fitness (@AnytimeFitness) January 4, 2023
