Using Lifestyle Segments to Build Brand Recognition

The recent HT Mint article on Cultfit's gym closures, reveals a recurring theme: even the biggest fitness brands are struggling to keep their spaces full and their members loyal. The piece points out how Cultfit’s model—centered around trainer-led, workout-focused classes—hasn’t translated into sustainable growth, especially as consumer needs evolve. Here’s the nuance: Cultfit put its trainers and workout programs at the heart of its strategy, not the customer’s broader lifestyle. You sign up for a class, maybe a few, but you’re not signing up for a holistic lifestyle system that supports you beyond the gym floor. This approach can be limiting. People don’t just want a workout—they want a routine that fits their life, supports their health goals, and adapts as they do. Imagine if we flipped the script. What if, instead of just offering a menu of workouts, gyms designed programs that fit into different lifestyles for different customer segments? Early mornings could be for seniors focusing on mobility and social connection. Mid-mornings could serve homemakers or new moms with wellness routines that include nutrition and stress management. Afternoons might attract students with energy-boosting group classes and peer support. Evenings could remain the domain of working professionals looking for efficient, guided routines that help them unwind and recharge. By redefining customer segments and building lifestyle-centric programs, gyms could see better utilization all day long—not just during peak hours. More importantly, members would feel seen and supported, making them more likely to stick around. The Cultfit story reinforces a larger truth that I've seen throughout my career: putting the customer at the center of the business generates sustainable growth. Who do you think your business could serve if you went beyond segmenting prospects by revenues or business maturity and considered their culture, aspirations and business style? #BusinessStrategy #CustomerCentricity #GrowthConsulting #Unlock growth cult fit

I have worked with a lot of spirit brands and a word that comes up more often than not is "luxury". Every spirit brand that has come my way wants to appeal to consumers as a luxury experience. Their packaging may speak to that but their content typically doesn't. That's why when I came across Holiday Vodka I was stunned. From the packaging to the Instagram - this brand is doing it right. Without just speaking to the luxury market, they niched down. Their brand speaks to holiday travelers, and showcases a true luxury holiday: The Ski Trip ⛷️ Let's dive in to what they are really doing.... ⛷️ They’re selling a feeling Every post feels like an invitation to a moment. Whether it’s an aperitivo in Italy, a cozy après-ski vibe, or a sunset toast with friends. From the brand’s own ethos, Holiday is all about capturing that “holiday” feeling. Time slowing down, joy, ritual, and connection. That’s translated beautifully into visual storytelling. ⛷️ Cohesive visual identity that feels luxury yet approachable So many brands WANT to offer an escape from the home from their products and Holiday is actually doing it. The design, photography, and color palette on their feed project a consistent and elevated brand look. This isn’t just about pretty pictures. It’s about signaling who the brand is to their audience. There’s intention in every image, from the lifestyle shots to product visuals, reinforcing the brand’s Italian-inspired elegance and modern energy. ⛷️ They’ve connected social to real-world experiences* Their social presence mirrors the brand’s experiential marketing. For example, their après-ski–themed launch events in NYC that brought the product to life in experiential settings and cultural moments. This creates content that feels real, and not just advertising. ⛷️ Positioning through story + community Holiday isn’t just highlighting the liquid. Holiday shares moments, partnerships, personalities, and rituals around using the product. That kind of content humanizes the brand and encourages users to see themselves in the story. ⛷️ Smart lifestyle alignment (not just product posts)  Rather than purely product shots, the feed reflects a lifestyle: travel, celebration, community, ritual. This makes the brand *aspirational* without being inaccessible. A masterclass in lifestyle marketing for CPG.

Beauty brands spend millions researching the "ideal customer." They study morning routines, evening skincare rituals, and weekend makeup tutorials, but they're missing the most loyal beauty consumers on the planet. Marathon runners accidentally taught us this lesson. We started noticing Fazit patches showing up in race photos. Runners were tagging us in post-race celebrations, sweaty and exhausted but still sparkling. This wasn't our target market. We had no marketing budget aimed at athletes, yet they were becoming our most dedicated community. Here's what we learned by actually listening to them: Traditional beauty marketing assumes stationary application. Get ready at home, look good for a few hours, then remove and repeat. Athletes need something completely different. They want products that move with them, last through physical stress, and still look intentional at the finish line. More importantly, they want beauty that serves their performance, not just their appearance. This insight revealed a massive blind spot across the entire beauty industry. We've been so focused on vanity metrics that we missed functional ones. Sweat-proof isn't just a nice-to-have feature — for millions of active people, it's essential. The beauty industry keeps segmenting by demographics: age, income, skin tone. But the most valuable segmentation might be lifestyle: How active is your customer? What do they need their beauty routine to survive? Marathon runners want makeup that can handle their ambitions. The brands that figure this out first will own an entirely new category.

When DJ Zinhle wears Era, it’s not marketing. It’s alignment. That’s the difference between promotion and branding!. DJ Zinhle’s brand story didn’t begin with accessories. It began with her. Long before ERABYDJZINHLE was launched, her personal brand carried weight, she was authentic, stylish, aspirational, and grounded, even during her come up with Kalawa Jazmee. Her music introduced her to audiences, but her lifestyle and personality built her credibility in the industry. That credibility became the soil from which Era By Zinhle could grow and sprout. What makes this journey remarkable is the subtlety, when Zinhle wears her own eyewear or accessories, it’s not a marketing strategy/promo, it’s just her being herself. The brand benefits from this because it mirrors her identity. This is not product placement. It’s alignment. It’s a lifestyle captured in material form. From a branding lens, this is the transition at play: ▪️The Personal Brand: Zinhle embodies a set of values such as independence, creativity, and a unique sense of style. ▪️The Lifestyle Brand Extension: Era By Zinhle becomes a physical translation of those values/persona into watches, eyewear, and accessories that carry her DNA. ▪️The Brand as Culture: Over time, the business doesn’t just represent Dj Zinhle, it represents a lifestyle, creating a community that resonates beyond her immediate presence in the room. And this is where cultural context becomes powerful. In South Africa, consumers are deeply responsive to authenticity. They rally behind brands that reflect real lives, not manufactured stories(you can check TikTok videos on this). Zinhle understood this intuitively. By building Era as a seamless extension of herself, she invited people into her world rather than trying to sell them a product from the outside. This cultural resonance then paved the way for the Zee Nation Festival, now a live extension of her brand universe. What started as a personal brand, then became a lifestyle brand, now manifests as a cultural gathering. Zee Nation is more than a festival. It’s the physical embodiment of her brand ecosystem, where music, lifestyle, fashion, and community meet. That journey shows how powerful a personal brand can be when it evolves with intention. It’s not just about visibility, it’s about alignment. Identity becomes lifestyle. Lifestyle becomes culture. And culture becomes legacy. Era By Zinhle proves that branding at its highest form is not marketing campaigns or ad spend. It’s when a personal story resonates so strongly that it extends into products, then into communities, and ultimately into culture itself. You can watch the sit down she did with Lebo Lion . for more. ERABYDJZINHLE Arnold Mohapi #branding #personalbranding #lifestylebrand #marketing