Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit

I always say that good marketing begins and ends with the consumer.  Always.  And I always say that we should do everything possible to get to know how our consumer lives.  Not just through focus groups and quantitative studies, but by literally following them and watching them and stepping into their shoes.

So you can imagine how intrigued I was when I heard this story.  This man takes his job seriously.  He wants to really know how his customer lives ... and breaths ... and eats .... and feels.  He went above and beyond.

Meet Drew Manning,  "Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit" ... a personal trainer who, while obsessed with being fit, is doing an experiment of gaining an intense amount of weight (like 60 pounds) to see what it's like to be fat and then to see what it's like to get back into shape.  Drew is going from fit to fat to fit again, all in a matter of months.

He is doing this to not only prove the point that you can get into shape when you are "fat", but also to see what the journey feels like.  Everything is tracked on his website and in social media.  He also has ways for us to engage in his journey, in true social media fashion.

Funny how I just spoke at a marketing conference a couple weeks ago about how social media is being used by people to track and get motivated about their own diet and exercise programs.  Here Drew is doing it live.

He started in late May, and by now his weight is right up there.  The before/after photos are striking.  Can't wait to see the after/after photos.  Drew's got a full website and is already on a media tour (he's on the Tonight Show on October 28th).

The man is going to become "famous" in the process, but he's also going to further his profession by really understanding what his clients are going through.  He's going to become a better trainer, and a better marketer, in the process.  It would also be fascinating to see how his "vitals" change as well -- like blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.  Having extra weight puts such a strain on your body ... it would be impactful to measure that as well.

I give this guy a lot of credit ... he inspires me to get to know all of my consumers even better.

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect