CrossFit Games 2023: A Master Class in Media Strategy and Brand Building

Are you watching the 2023 Crossfit Games? Hopefully, besides watching the events, you are also watching the CrossFit advertisements in between events. And hopefully you are also following along on Instagram (follow @christinedca and @thedavecastro), where CrossFit has multiple “content creators” creating unique content. In between events, CrossFit is holding a master class, imo, in how to build a brand, thru their media, advertising and social media strategy.

I have written previously (see my stories) about how CrossFit needs to focus on using the CrossFit games to build their brand by using the Games to fulfill their mission: improve health thru fitness, and the associated lifestyle changes that CrossFit advocates. And as I have written, CrossFit lost their way over the past several years, due to reasons I have previously articulated, but now they have a new CEO, and they have brought back multiple people (e.g. Dave Castro, The Buttery Bros), who were part of CrossFit before, and they are executing FLAWLESSLY.

So what is CrossFit doing so well?

Here is what I see with the commercials:

1. They are highlighting the affiliates, many being run by CrossFit Games athletes, like Scott Panchik. And they are showing how those affiliates are changing people’s lives. They are showing how the affiliates, and their CrossFit coaches are providing tailored coaching to meet people where they are, and help them improve their lives. Go watch the Scott Panchik commercial. Tell me you didn’t almost tear up.
2. They are highlighting what happens to everyday people, everyday, in CrossFit “boxes”. It makes it very clear, this can happen for you also. They are inspiring.
3. They are highlighting how this is happening GLOBALLY. This brand has global appeal and is doing it with a grass roots approach. This translates to significant customer retention and appeal. If you are paying attention to the Games leaderboard you will also notice the number of athletes, and top athletes that are NOT from the USA. Most people expect that the Games will be in Europe next year. I suspect it will be in Norway.

So back to my premises from previous articles and what we are seeing play out:

1. I said CrossFit had the makings of a great company. I still believe that, and I believe they now have the right leadership (Don Faul, CEO) in place to tap into these capabilities, to build the brand and fulfill its mission. The have brought back Dave Castro to oversee the Games and make sure execution is flawless and has broad appeal. It has to be mentioned that programming the Games is now being done by Adrian Bozman, and Adrian is KILLING IT. His programming has been a total curveball to the athletes and making them all have a deeper understanding of what it means to be Cross Fit. And that is making the leaderboard very exciting. The impact of the programming is probably worth a whole article in itself.
2. The advertising is not being done with expensive Super Bowl commercials. Its done on Youtube. And it is on point, and being done during the CrossFit SuperBowl event (the Games).
3. They are building a media ecosystem. All the talent that was a part of the pre-2019 Media team, has been invited back, as a partner, to create digital content. This should translate into multiple avenues of interesting CrossFit content, which means more coverage, more perspectives, reaching more customers.
4. Building on #3, those individuals are working directly with the CrossFit-employed talent. I believe this goes back to the talent development focus, which is another core competency of CrossFit. That is so good to see. Build the talent for the next generation.
5. The entire 2023 Games are being streamed on ESPN+ (along with Youtube) with a Friday night primetime exclusive on ESPN. Massive.

So what?

Does CrossFit become a brand as big as the NFL or the MLB? I don’t know. But I do know that CrossFit is doing what the PGA (a complete disaster) can’t seem to figure out, and that is significant. CrossFit can easily be a “billion dollar global brand”. That seems attainable for sure if they will keep executing the vision I have laid out in the various articles I have written.

So what next?

1. They need “30 for 30” type content with ESPN. Figure that out. Many angles to think about with this.
2. They need to host the Games somewhere in Europe and then rotate between the US and Europe on an ongoing basis.
3. They need to make the CrossFit commercials more accessible. They are incredible.
4. Highlight the digital content that will be created from the 2023 media strategy. I suspect it will be nothing short of amazing.
5. They have a writer on Instagram (@christinedca) that ghost writes on Dave Castro’s instagram — she does a phenomenal job of highlighting very personal stories of the athletes, across the moments of the competition. They need so much more of this. As I have mentioned previously, making these superhuman athletes seem normal is critical. The NFL, MLB and NBA have lost this opportunity a long time ago. And golf and tennis are way too elitist. This is a unique opportunity for CrossFit to continue to build the brand.
6. Highlight the adaptive and age group athletes, emphasis with the adaptive athletes. The power of story and inspiration that could come from that could be earth-shattering if they gave it just a little more focus. Watching the adaptive athletes do CrossFit completely shifts your mindset to “if they can do it, so can I”. Talk about building customer identification and loyalty.

What do you think?