Latest / Brand Storytelling with Fexingo: Narrative, Mission, and Stories That Sell / How Gymshark Built a Fitness Empire on Community
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this moment in Gymshark's history that I think tells you everything about how they built their brand. It's 2013, Ben Francis is nineteen, still living with his parents in Birmingham, and he's got a screen-printing kit in his bedroom. He starts making gym supplements and selling them online, but the real pivot comes when he notices that fitness YouTubers are getting massive engagement. Luna: And he just decides to send them free stuff? Lucas: Not exactly free stuff. He starts making his own gym clothes, testing them on himself, and then he sends samples to a handful of fitness influencers who are just starting to blow up. And he doesn't ask for anything in return. He just wants them to see the product. One of them, a guy named Lewis, posts a video wearing the Gymshark vest, and the next day, the website crashes from traffic. That's the seed of everything. Luna: That's the kind of origin story you can't manufacture. But what made it stick? A lot of brands get one viral moment and then fade. Lucas: Right. And that's the question I wanted to dig into. Because the viral moment gets you attention, but Gymshark built something else — they built a community. And the way they did it was by making their customers feel like they were part of something bigger than just buying a pair of leggings. They created a tribe. They gave it a name — the Gymshark family. And they treated that family as the core of their marketing, not as an afterthought. Luna: I remember the hashtag. #Gymshark66, right? The sixty-six day challenge. Lucas: Exactly. That was a masterstroke. In 2017, they launched the Gymshark66 challenge, where they asked people to commit to sixty-six days of training, because that's supposedly the time it takes to form a habit. Participants shared their progress on social media with the hashtag. It wasn't a paid campaign — it was a challenge that people wanted to be part of. And it generated hundreds of thousands of posts, all organic. That's the kind of engagement money can't buy. Luna: So it's less about the product and more about the identity. You're not just buying a vest, you're joining a movement. Lucas: Precisely. And that's the storytelling principle at the heart of Gymshark's brand. They understood that people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Ben Francis has said in interviews that his mission was to help people become the best version of themselves. And every piece of content, every campaign, every social post reinforced that. It wasn't about 'look at our new leggings' — it was about 'look at what our community achieved.' Luna: And that's what I love about the story. It's not a corporate brand talking down to consumers. It's a peer — someone who's on the journey with you. Lucas: Yeah, that's a key part of the authenticity. Ben Francis was a gym guy. He was in the trenches, he was posting his own workouts, he was responding to comments personally in the early days. That's something you can't fake. And as the brand grew, they kept that spirit by hiring community managers who were actual fitness enthusiasts, not just marketing grads. They made sure the people who spoke for the brand were people the community could relate to. Luna: That's a smart operational detail. A lot of brands talk about community but then outsource it to an agency that doesn't know the difference between a deadlift and a squat. Lucas: Exactly. And that's where Gymshark's approach really diverges. They also used events to bring the community offline. They hosted meet-ups, they sponsored athlete events, they even launched a physical pop-up experience in London that had people queuing around the block. The brand became a place where people could meet like-minded people. That's emotional attachment that goes beyond a transaction. Luna: And then there's the athlete program. They've signed a ton of fitness influencers as brand ambassadors. How did that evolve? Lucas: That's the engine. They built a roster of athletes from YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — people like Lex Griffin, Nikki Blackketter, and later David Laid. And these athletes aren't just paid to wear the gear. They're given equity, they're given creative freedom, and they're treated as partners. That's a huge difference from a typical endorsement deal. It means the athletes genuinely believe in the brand, and their audience feels that. Luna: So they're effectively co-creating the brand with their athletes. That's a much deeper relationship than a sponsored post. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's worth noting that this happened before influencer marketing was a term everyone used. Ben Francis was doing this in 2012, 2013, when the fitness YouTube space was still small. He was early. He saw that these creators had trust with their audiences, and he leveraged that trust to build his own. By the time bigger brands caught on, Gymshark already had a decade of relationships and a community that felt a genuine connection. Luna: And that's the kind of first-mover advantage you can't easily copy. It's not about the tactic, it's about being early and being genuine. Lucas: Right. And I think that's the lesson for any brand, whether you're selling fitness gear or software or coffee. The community has to be the center of your strategy, not an afterthought. You have to give them a reason to care, and you have to give them a platform to participate. Gymshark did that by making it easy for people to share their progress, to feel seen, and to be acknowledged. Luna: And they did it ad-free, just like us. Speaking of which, a quick thought on that — we keep this show ad-free because we want the conversation to be about the ideas, not about selling you something. If you've gotten value from these episodes, you can support that choice at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that keeps this podcast independent. Lucas: Yeah, and it's exactly the kind of community-driven support we're talking about. It's not a transaction, it's a way to say 'I value this.' And we're grateful for that. But back to Gymshark — there's also a lesson in how they used social media to listen, not just broadcast. Luna: How so? Lucas: They were constantly monitoring comments, DMs, and social mentions. If people had a complaint about sizing or fabric, they would see it and respond quickly. They even changed their leggings design based on feedback from their community. That kind of responsiveness creates a sense of ownership. People feel like they're part of the product development, which is incredibly powerful. Luna: That's the difference between a brand that says 'we listen' and one that actually does. And it's a huge reason why their customers are so loyal. It's like being part of a focus group that never ends. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why, by 2020, Gymshark was valued at over a billion dollars. They had built a brand that wasn't just about selling clothes — it was about being part of a global fitness family. And they did it without a single traditional ad campaign. It was all organic, community-led, and story-driven. Luna: So what's the takeaway for our listeners who are building their own brands? Lucas: I'd say the biggest takeaway is to find your tribe and treat them like gold. Don't try to appeal to everyone. Identify the people who share your values and your passion, and build something that makes them feel like they belong. That's the Gymshark formula. It's not about the product, it's about the identity and the community around it. Luna: And it helps if you're genuinely passionate about the space. You can't fake that kind of authenticity. Lucas: No, you can't. And Ben Francis had that in spades. He wasn't a marketer trying to figure out what would sell. He was a gym rat who saw a problem — the lack of stylish, functional gym wear — and solved it for himself and his friends. That's the purest form of brand storytelling. It starts with a real problem and a real solution, and then you invite others to join you. Luna: That's a beautiful way to put it. And it's a reminder that the best brands are built on a story that people want to be a part of. Lucas: And that's what Gymshark did. They built a story of perseverance, community, and self-improvement. And they invited millions of people to write their own chapters in it. As we look forward, the question is: can they maintain that authenticity as they scale even further? But that's a story for another episode.