UFC GYM: a fitness franchise case study
Founded in 2009 as a brand extension of UFC® (Ultimate Fighting Championship), the largest MMA promotion company in the world, UFC Gym is a franchise model with locations across more than 15 countries and still growing strong.
The global brand is a continually evolving contender in the fitness arena and comprises three brands - UFC Gym, UFC Fit, and Class
UFC Gym.
Ease of use is highly beneficial in a franchise environment.
UFC GYM Marketing Director
![[object Object]](/images/case-studies/users.svg)
100+
gym location across the USA
![[object Object]](/images/case-studies/cloud.svg)
630+
creative assets
![[object Object]](/images/case-studies/asset.svg)
55%
asset increase in 4 months
Big growth necessitates
brand consistency
After bringing dozens of franchisees on board over more than a decade of expansion, protecting UFC GYM’s brand reputation became increasingly important. The marketing team was also safeguarding more than their brand; the name of their widely-recognized parent company, UFC®, was also at stake.
As a franchise-based organization, the marketing team knew clear brand guidelines and user-friendly software were essential. A brand being marketed by multiple entities could quickly become diluted in the marketplace. The team stayed on top of their brand continuity needs by implementing a templating system.
Brand templating allows brands, especially those with distributed team members, to set brand parameters. This brand automation keeps elements like logos, color palettes, and fonts from misrepresenting the company as it changes and evolves. A strong templating platform allows the company to adjust the control level of brand parameters.
A disciplined, forward-thinking business like UFC GYM expected those same qualities from its vendors.
Finding a better
templating fit
Though the marketing team found templating useful in general, the system they were working with lacked some of the core functionality the team desired. Their templating software company wasn’t pushing the product forward far enough or fast enough. A disciplined, forward-thinking business like UFC GYM expected those same qualities from its vendors. Being a self-sufficient organization, the team became frustrated at having to rely on the vendor for even minor template adjustments.
UFC GYM wanted a product that provided more options to make templating changes in-house. They also had established design agency relationships and desired a product that could easily facilitate that creative partnership. In talking with our sales team, they discovered there was a platform that would provide more generous template-building access and easily integrate agency-generated creative assets — Brandgility.
![Finding a better ,[object Object], templating fit](/images/case-studies/finding_NEW.webp)
Positive transition yields quick results
The Brandgility adoption at went smoothly. Communication was great between the marketing team and the Brandgility implementation team, which helped to quickly sort out any issues that arose. Being able to use Adobe InDesign and Illustrator files with the Brandgility platform was key for the fitness franchisor, so extra attention was given to customized plug-ins for easier integration. This helped UFC GYM maintain their existing design partnerships to lunge full speed ahead into brand templating that was more user-friendly.
Already in tune with templating, UFC GYM was able to dive right in and actively use their new platform. Both the marketing team and franchisees began using Brandgility for a wide range of digital and print marketing materials. Social media sites Instagram and Facebook became popular destinations for their digital Brandgility assets. The new platform was similar to their old templating platform, yet it worked better, offered more flexibility, and even cost less.
Broad adoption leads to
asset growth
Since UFC GYM made the switch to Brandgility, their marketing team hasn’t looked back. The response from their franchise community has been positive, leading to widespread usage and substantial asset growth. After just four months on the Brandgility platform, UFC GYM has already increased its creative asset pool by more than 55%, uploading over 630 assets in fewer than 120 days post-launch. The organization has taken full advantage of the platform’s extensive functionality, utilizing it as both a DAM and templating software.With such a successful transition and ongoing company expansion, the team plans to continue utilizing Brandgility in meaningful, results-producing ways. Brandgility has provided the kind of responsive, customizable templating UFC GYM and its franchisees were lacking with their prior templating company. As UFC GYM continues to expand, so will its brand templating usage.
It's exciting to see the content we create in Brandgility out in the wild, flashing across social media and hanging on gyms walls.
UFC GYM Marketing Coordinator
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