"KEEP CALM AND PEDAL ON"
Ever since my days of travel soccer, I have always appreciated
a good work out. Not a pretend, “Oh I will go on the elliptical for 30 minutes
on level 2." I am talking about a full on workout that will make you feel like
you just sweat out half of your body weight. So a few years ago when my mom
asked me to go to a spin class with her, the fitness guru I am decided to give
it a try-I was immediately hooked! I was so excited I found a new workout that
would be my hidden gem; Well, that ended shortly. |
| taken at SoulCycle: Santa Monica, CA location |
Why I think this spinning sensation is here to stay:
When looking at The Value Equation, spinning provides more benefits (quality, emotions, prestige, and experience) than costs for customer, which leads to high value (Babins/Harris 24). Aside from its utilitarian value of providing a workout, spinning provides high hedonic value as well (Babins/Harris 29). The stand alone spin studios that have developed, like SoulCycle or Cyc Fitness, provide experiential value by creating a sense of community and a euphoric feeling that comes after finishing a class. One of the reasons I love spinning so much is because even if I do not have a friend in the class (which I usually do), the fun and welcoming environment makes it something I am not afraid to do alone. Since spinning is now such a trendy hobby, it provides high social value. I constantly find myself signing up for classes with friends. It is a way to bond with each other and a way to meet new people. Not to mention, the added value of prestige that comes with telling someone “I just finished spin class”(Babins/Harris 28).
While many people argue that spinning is an expensive hobby, this trend has created a niche market, segmenting consumers that are willing to pay more for a quality workout experience (Babins/Harris 15). You can immediately identify the young, hip "spin customers" as soon as they walk in with lulu lemon work out apparel and an oversized water bottle attached to the hip.
While you may not buy into the spinning craze, there is no doubt that it has transformed the way our society views working out. But don’t yuck it, until you try it!
Check out The Huffington Post's: 8 Reasons to Learn to Love Spin Class and Why People Spin by Fox News.
Sources: Babin, B., & Harris, E. (n.d.). CB: Consumer Behavior: Student edition 7 (Student ed., p. 28, 29).
As a person who appreciates high quality workouts, I definitely see the hedonic and utilitarian value that Soul Cycle provides. (Babin/Harris 29). Spinning, especially at SoulCycle, is a microculture (Babin/Harris 200). It’s a way of life and people who participate in it share similar values and tastes. They have a niche market as they have one product that serves a select segment with unique characteristics, but I wonder if they ever considered broadening their audience (Babin/Harris 15). Depending on price structure spin is something I’d be interested to try. I saw you added some external links and thought this blog written by a spin instructor might interest you as well http://leaveitonthebike.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi Becca! Loved your post. I was so happy to see someone writing about SoulCycle because Soul is one of my favorite classes. I definitely agree that the class provides high utilitarian and hedonic value, so for me, it's definitely worth it (CB, p29). I do agree that the class is crazy expensive, which makes me wonder about the elasticity of the market. What do you think would happen if they rose the prices slightly? (CB, p34). Finally, I loved the added value of the included links. I totally agree that the music makes a huge difference (Huffington Post Article). Finally, did you know that you can get the first class for just $20? This might leverage many students to try the class! So excited to see where this blog goes!
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