Zoom Media Sophie Burke on advertising in the fitness and health sector

Sophie Burke from health and fitness digital media provider Zoom Media on why the firm is working with unsigned artists

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there at Zoom Media?

Sophie Burke (SB): I am Sophie Burke, head of marketing at Zoom Media UK where I have worked for over four years.  In this role I lead the UK marketing team and together, we work hard to get Zoom Media noticed in all the right places.  

SMP: Briefly, tell us about Zoom Media (for those that don?t know), what is it and what does the company do?  

SB: Zoom Media is the UK?s leading provider of health and fitness digital media.  We work with some of the UK?s biggest health and fitness club chains, providing relevant content designed to entertain and engage gym goers through over 4,000 screens in more than 700 venues across the UK.  

This also provides us with an extensive digital advertising media network.  Our brand partners (such as Kellogg?s, Vauxhall and Colgate) advertise through us to target hard-to-reach health conscious, active and affluent consumers.  Branded content played on our screens features in-gym promotions relevant to each unique health club and targeted advertising messages from national and local advertisers.



See the Zoom UK Brand Reel from Zoom Media UK on Vimeo.

SMP: Who are your clients (target audience) and why?  

SB: We provide advertisers with an audience of regular gym goers.  These people tend to have more disposable income than average which makes them a key target for many advertisers.  However, they are also light viewers of ?live? TV which makes them hard to reach through traditional media ? a problem that is worsening for advertisers as a result of the growth in TV-On-Demand and Catch-Up-TV.  We not only make it possible for brands to reach these people, but we also do so in an environment where there is a long dwell time and people are relaxed.  This is why, as was demonstrated in a survey http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/197963/marketers-meet-the-rich-at-the-club.html#axzz2QFor9ODZ last year, over 65% of very affluent consumers said health clubs and gyms were the places where they were most receptive to advertising.

SMP: How did you initially attract clients to your products, services and brand (and how do you do it now)?

SB: Zoom Media is a global business that was started in Canada 23 years ago. Our clients are our health club chains, of which we operate in eight of the top 10 in the UK, our national advertisers and local advertisers. Our health club chains have chosen us for a long time as they know we offer everything they could possibly wish for to engage, communicate and educate their members. Our national advertising clients know that we are the best option to get their brands in front of an elusive, light TV viewing audience and our local advertisers know that if they want to communicate to their community of potential customers, the gym is one of the best places to do it. Our core principals of leadership, innovation, integrity and creativity have and still do enable us to attract people to Zoom Media.



SMP: What are the challenges that you?ve encountered and how are you overcoming them in what you have been doing so far Zoom Media?

SB: There are new challenges every day in the advertising industry. We strive to be the best at what we do. The challenge is to ensure we achieve that every year and we do this by launching new projects such as Zoom Unsigned, growing our national and local advertising networks by providing new services such as geo-retail targeting on national adverts (which we have just done for Volvo) and maintaining and growing new relationships with our Health Club partners.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

SB: For me personally it?s been seeing how far we?ve come since I started four years ago. I have grown with the company; I got married here, had my son here (well not literally!).  I believe in what we do and the passion continues. Currently working with Fitness First on their new brand roll out has been great, launching Zoom Unsigned and of course being in charge of the UK Marketing function has brought me great highs.

SMP: Why has Zoom Media launched into the talent marketplace with Zoom Unsigned and what benefits will it bring to the business? 

SB: We saw a fantastic opportunity to give something back to the music industry and help some of the amazing talent around the UK to get noticed.  With Zoom Unsigned we are giving undiscovered singers and bands the chance to be played on our Gym TV, with a huge potential audience.  As well as, hopefully, finding the next big thing in the UK, Zoom Unsigned is also giving us the opportunity to engage more deeply with gym-goers and also provide them with unique content to keep them entertained.

SMP: Why have you launched this initiative now?  

SB: The music industry continues to go from strength to strength in the UK, and the search for talent has also become of great interest to the general public.  What has made it possible for us to launch Zoom Unsigned now is the combination of new technology and social media alongside the development of our own offering ? providing the perfect environment to build an initiative that helps the music industry while bringing something new and exciting to health club members.

SMP: How and where are you promoting Zoom Unsigned (what channels are you using and why)?  

SB: We have a website and are also using a combination of Facebook, Twitter and PR to engage with music artists and also promote what we are doing.  In addition, we have partnered up with Rormix who provide an app for unsigned artists, we have an A&R (Artists & Repertoire) team touring the UK and attending band nights and gigs to tell people about what we?re doing, plus there?s an ad playing on Gym TV.  We want to reach as many unsigned artists as we can and provide a credible route for them to receive airtime.



SMP: What are your long-term plans and objectives for Zoom Unsigned?  

SB: The long term plan is to find some talented artists and help them get signed. That?s it. Simple. We want to support, drive and highlight the talent that is out there waiting to get noticed. As it evolves there will be new objectives but as it?s still in the early stages, that?s where our focus is right now.  

SMP: Why should unsigned music acts take part?  

SB: We are the leading digital media network in health clubs with an audience of over 14 million each month.  It is completely free for them to submit their video or track ? they simply have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

SMP: What happens if one of the artists/bands gets signed up to a recording contract?  

SB: If they get signed because of us we will assist and promote them as much as we can.  We are determined to make Zoom Unsigned a success and to play a part in helping someone get noticed would be amazing.

SMP: What response have you had so far ? from both gym goers and artists?  

SB: The reaction from both gym-goers and artists has been great.  We have had over 400 submissions so far, of which 250 have been accepted, with the potential for their videos and tracks to be played on our Gym TV screens.  These submissions have come from members and their friends, health club employees and also, increasingly, from across the general public as word of mouth around Zoom Unsigned grows.

SMP: Are advertisers getting involved?

SB: Right now this is about the artists but, if we could find the right brand that fits and would support the project, we would be very interested in talking to them.

SMP: Can you name any artists/bands involved yet that you think could make it big?  

SB: It?s hard to tell yet, but a few have stood out for me as potential contenders for the big time on account of their raw talent and professionalism.  Dani Clay is my highlight for the dub step genre, for house it?s Von Marcus and top punk band would be Ambeline.

SMP: How are you integrating social media into this initiative?  

SB: We are using Twitter and Facebook to support the Zoom Unsigned website and the Gym TV advert we are running. The majority of submissions come from seeing the advert in their gym and it?s not just the members; gym staff have also been sending in entries. Social media has proved to a great way to communicate and generate awareness.

SMP: There have been many other unsigned music initiatives that have just faded away, how do you envisage sustaining this?   

SB: This is an ongoing initiative which we will keep going as long as there are artists who want our help.  We are dedicated to music. It?s what we do. We have invested heavily both financially and personally in Zoom Unsigned and the feedback has been so great we think that the momentum is there to keep it going for some time to come.

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities?  

SB: As the initiative gains traction it?s taking up an increasing amount of our time ? but we see it as time well spent.  In terms of opportunities, the short term ones stem from the interesting content we?re generating and greater engagement with Gym TV amongst gym-goers.  If we help any artists make it big, clearly there will then also be the chance to build wider awareness and heightened credibility around Zoom Media.

SMP: Best way to contact you and Zoom Media?

SB: You can send me an email personally to sophieburke @ zoommedia.com or, if it relates to Zoom Unsigned specifically, you can email zoomunsigned @ zoommedia.com


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?  

SB: Raisin Wheats for breakfast, everyday. I need a lot of energy for the day ahead. Lunch tends to be something light at my desk; I?m trying to be good for my sister?s wedding in June.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

SB: As cheesy as it sounds I am a great believer in ?treat someone the way you would like to be treated?. Just thinking of today, work-wise I have just finished putting together the fundraising plans for our charity partner CRY and, on a personal level, I bought cakes for the girls in the office today; well it is raining!

SMP: If you weren?t working at Zoom Media what would you be doing?

SB: This is an easy one. Money would have to be no object, a kind of ?If I won the lottery? question. If that were the case, I would set up a nursery offering 30 free places a year to successful women that have been forced out of the workplace due to the ridiculous costs of childcare in the UK. There would be an application process etc but there is the dream. Who wants to give me the money? ☺

SMP: What?s the best artist or band that you?ve seen recently and why?  

SB: I came across London Grammar about six months ago before they were even talked about. I knew they would be huge, their music really is amazing and so unique. Currently I am loving Sam Smith, his album will be massive too, I?m sure of it. Gabrielle Aplin has a voice of an angel and Ministry of Sound have excelled themselves with albums like ?The Decade? and ?The Annual 2014?.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?  

SB: As a full time working mother my holiday usually consists of the odd week off with a toddler full of flu, very glam! La Manga, Spain was probably the last family holiday, but I am off to Vegas in May for my sister?s hen do.  It?ll be child free so I?m sure I?ll make up for multiple missed holidays in that trip!

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?  

SB: It sounds so sad when I write this but my office is next door to the financial director?s office. We both started together at Zoom at the same time. I?m usually the first in the office, so as soon as I get in I put the kettle on and make me a coffee and Gemma a Tea so it?s ready for her on her desk when she arrives - usually 10 minutes later - and it?s become a kind of tradition.  She?s done well because that?s over 1000 cups of tea I?ve made her?

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?  

SB: In theory I would love to be invisible or maybe even to see into the future ? although I wonder if this would be a good thing in practice. I guess I?ll never know!

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