Zumba is in and Pilates is out, according to more than 2,600 fitness professionals who completed an American College of Sports Medicine survey of the top fitness trends for 2012. The survey results were released today in the “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2012″ article published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal.

Zumba (and other dance workouts) and outdoor activities both made their debuts in the top 20 this year. Zumba and other dance workouts ranked ninth, and outdoor activities ranked 14th.

“Zumba and other dance workouts first appeared on the list of potential trends in 2010, but this is the first year Zumba has made the top 20,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey. “While Zumba has experienced a rapid surge in popularity in the past year, future surveys will indicate if Zumba is truly a trend or simply a fad.”

Educated and experienced fitness professionals claimed the top spot in 2012 for the fifth consecutive year. Outcome measurements and clinical integration/medical fitness both dropped out of the top 20 this year. Outcome measurements, a way to quantify progress in clubs and wellness programs, had a five-year run in the top 20 and ranked 13th in 2011. Clinical integration/medical fitness, perhaps tied to last year’s national health care reform, only appeared in the top 20 in 2011 and claimed 18th place. Pilates, which first dropped out of the top 20 for 2011, remained off the list for 2012.

“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that jobs for fitness workers will increase much faster than other occupations,” said Thompson, an exercise physiologist at Georgia State University, a Fellow of ACSM and a spokesperson for the ACSM American Fitness IndexTM. “Educated and experienced fitness professionals – such as those with professional certifications – will have the best chances to get new jobs in an increasingly competitive field.”

The survey, now in its sixth year, was completed by 2,620 health and fitness professionals worldwide (many certified by ACSM) and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Thirty-seven potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.

The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2012 are:

Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), such as those offered by ACSM.
Strength training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders.
Fitness programs for older adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.
Exercise and weight loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.
Children and obesity. With childhood obesity growing at an alarming rate, health and fitness professionals see the epidemic as an opportunity to create programs tailored to overweight and obese children. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will have an impact on the health care industry today and for years to come.
Personal training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that students are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.
Core training. Distinct from strength training, core training specifically emphasizes conditioning of the middle-body muscles, including the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen – all of which provide needed support for the spine.
Group personal training. In challenging economic times, many personal trainers are offering group training options. Training two or three people at once makes economic sense for both the trainer and the clients.
Zumba and other dance workouts. A workout that requires energy and enthusiasm, Zumba combines Latin rhythms with interval-type exercise and resistance training.
Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

The full list of top 20 trends is available upon request in the article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2012.”

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 45,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

The key take-away (apart from the eyebrow-raising statistic that 39% of respondents willingingly admitted that they use their smart phones while going to the bathroom) is how integrated smart phones have become to consumer behaviour. The Huffington Post reports:

Search engine sites were the most popular type of site that users visit, and ninety percent of mobile searches ended in an action of some kind, such as buying a product or visiting a restaurant. Smartphone users also love both shopping on their phones and using their phones to get help in buying goods in the real world: 79 percent of users use their phones for the latter, comparing prices, finding stores, or looking at related items.

That’s the data. But what’s it mean for marketers? Google says that 79% of top advertisers don’t have a mobile-optimised website. “It’s important to build a good mobile user experience because if we see a mobile ad, we tend to click on the ad (42%), visit the advertiser’s site (35%), make a purchase (49%) or call the business (27%),” making mobile marketing a new opportunity to connect with consumers.

Just 3 weeks ago, our Interactive Director posted this story on developing a mobile strategy.  It’s a glass of cool water in the face of such feverish hype. And the calming advice is this: size up the mobile bandwagon before you make the leap.

Look before you leap onto the mobile bandwagon...

Our Interactive Team put that strategy into action developing Whistler Golf Club’s first mobile site which went live today.

Optimised with an e-commerce platform to allow avid (and let’s face it, smart-phone-attached) golfers to book tee times, to touch-scroll through a mobile photo gallery, and featuring a complete hole-by-hole guide with maps, fly-over video, yardage, par and handicap information, m.whistlergolf.com was designed for the person who is barely separated from their mobile device even when they hit the greens. Now they won’t have to.

“The furious activity to accomplish more with less exacts a series of silent costs: less capacity for focused attention, less time for any given task, and less opportunity to think reflectively and long term.”

Simple, of course, doesn’t make for easy. And it hasn’t been easy for Schwartz and his colleagues at The Energy Project to transform the corporate cultures of organisations like Wachovia, The Cleveland Clinic, the LA Police Department, Sony and Ernst & Young and IBM – organisations that enable dysfunctional behaviours, and even encourage them through policies, practices, reward systems and cultural messages that drain the energy of their people assets, running down their value over time.

“A growing body of research suggests that we’re most productive when we move between periods of high focus and intermittent rest. Instead, we live in a gray zone, constantly juggling activities but rarely fully engaging in any of them — or fully disengaging from any of them.”

This week, on his blog at the Harvard Business Review, Schwartz keeps it simple, even binary, with a list of 30 things the world needs more of, matched against their shadow side. So, how often are you choosing the Dark Side?

But the “less is more” mantra is most elegantly illustrated by an old-school employee handbook from Nordstrom’s, a Hall of Fame member of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

Once upon a time, they had the confidence to provide their employees with an uncluttered single 5-by-8-inch (130 × 200 mm) gray card containing 75 words:

Welcome to Nordstrom

We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.

Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.

Where do TripAdvisor and YouTube factor into the decision-making process? Recently, we were questioned on how many people actually consult YouTube and TripAdvisor when making holiday decisions. This discussion was prompted by a post on the near death of the travel brochure by our Creative Director, Danielle Kristmanson.

Last year, Google shared study results on business and personal travel planning in a presentation called The Traveler’s Road to Decision. The video is posted below, and the study it references confirms the rise, and the importance, of online resources for travel planning.

The key takeaways from the presentation are posted below (if you do not want to spend the next 45 minutes watching):

• 79% use internet for travel planning vs. 32% use informational brochures
• 41% made travel plans based on reviews and experiences of others
• 36% users watch travel videos on the internet (up from 15% from 2008)
• 63% used video when thinking about a trip
• 60% used video when choosing destination
• 64% used video when looking for activity idea

What about TripAdvisor? With 47+ million visits a month, TripAdvisor undoubtedly owns a sizable share of the 41% of travelers who make their decision based on online reviews and experiences of others.

Why YouTube? Even with the plethora of online video options, 79% of online video watchers still use YouTube.

A deadly duo when it comes to travel research? Those who rely on print, or even just their own websites, to get the word out about their travel and tourism product need to consider the stats. – Rory Tucker

De quelle façon avez-vous planifié vos dernières vacances ?

Jusqu’à quel point TripAdvisor et YouTube affectent le processus de décision ? Tout récemment, on nous a demandé quel était le nombre véritable de gens qui consultaient YouTube et TripAdvisor avant de prendre une décision pour leurs vacances. Ce questionnement a été initié par la publication d’un post de Danielle Kristmanson, notre directrice de création, sur la mort possible de la brochure de voyage.

L’année dernière, Google a fait paraître les résultats d’une étude sur la planification de voyage d’affaires et de voyage personnel au cours d’une présentation intitulée The Traveler’s Road to Decision. Cette vidéo est affichée un peu plus bas et cette étude confirme la progression et l’importance des ressources en ligne dans l’organisation de voyages.

Pour ceux qui ne veulent pas regarder le document de 45 minutes, voici les chiffres clé de cette présentation :

• 79 % des gens consultent Internet pour la planification de voyage contre 32 % d’utilisateurs de brochures informatives
• 41 % ont planifié en fonction des critiques et de l’expérience d’autres voyageurs
• 36 % des utilisateurs ont visionné des vidéos de voyage sur Internet (15 % de plus qu’en 2008)
• 63 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils pensaient partir en vacances
• 60 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils choisissaient leur destination
• 64 % ont visionné des vidéos quand ils regardaient pour des idées d’activités

Au sujet de TripAdvisor. Avec plus de 47 millions de visites par mois, TripAdvisor contrôle assurément une bonne partie des 41 % de voyageurs qui prennent leur décision en se basant sur les critiques et les expériences des autres.

Et YouTube ? Même avec la myriade d’options vidéo en ligne, 79 % des gens qui regardent des vidéos en ligne le font encore par YouTube.

On voit bien qu’il s’agit d’un redoutable duo dans le domaine de la recherche du voyage. Ceux qui se fient à l’imprimé ou simplement à leur site web pour diffuser l’information concernant leurs produits touristiques doivent réfléchir à ce que les chiffres indiquent. Rory Tucker

This spring, a UK survey conducted by Total Media and reported on by the Telegraph.co.uk, confirmed what we’ve been seeing for several months: holidaymakers are now booking trips based on online travel reviews rather than glossy publications.

According to the survey, e-pinion reviews written by strangers on independent websites such as TripAdvisor, search results on Google and word of mouth advice from family and colleagues are more influential than brochures, advertising, media reviews and advice from travel agents when it comes to booking holidays.

The survey of 1,375 consumers found a quarter of potential travelers now use online reviews by strangers to determine their travel plans, compared to 13 per cent who used travel programmes and 11 per cent who used magazines and newspaper supplements. The results also found that almost 50 per cent of travelers over 45 are using websites to recommend or warn fellow travelers by posting a review of their travel experiences online. The survey states:

“The impartial online opinion of travellers who have firsthand experience of a destination is second only now to what you hear from friends, family and work colleagues. Almost 70 per cent of consumers use the internet to book their holidays, compared to 23 per cent by phone and just 8 per cent chose travel agents.”

Interestingly, we received these survey results right about the time our long-term client, Tourism Whistler, traditionally briefs us on their annual vacation planner brochure. The briefing never did come. A decision driven by a long-term and resort-wide focus on sustainability, increased pressures on marketing budgets, and anecdotal findings that supported a move to on-line channels killed the brochure that had been printed annually since Tourism Whistler’s inception in 1989. There was a brief memorial ceremony conducted in our studio, attended by a handful of staff. It lasted about a minute before our growing contingent of digital evangelists said, “Cool, let’s spend the money integrating online contesting in Facebook and do some fun video to seed in online communities.” The mourning was over. There was, after all, very little to mourn. The creative restrictions, the static images, the homogenized tourism content, the dead trees…all of it seemed so “last year.”

As an interesting side note, the report found Expedia was the leading online destination for UK consumers planning longer trips over 5 nights (25 per cent), followed by TripAdvisor and Lastminute.com (22 per cent). Lastminute.com however was regarded as first choice for short trips. – Danielle Kristmanson

BTW – if you are already a Friend of ours on Facebook, Make sure you ‘like this‘.

At Origin Design + Communications, we subscribe to a philosophy of utilizing Open Source, Social Media, and other 3rd party applications and platforms wherever and whenever possible.

The benefits that come from this are as follows.

1. Why reinvent the wheel: If developers have already created functionality that satisfies your requirements, it seems silly to try to do it yourself. If what they have done is solid and been ‘debugged’ there is a lot of efficiency in plugging in.

2. Updates and Scalability: 3rd party solutions and open source options both benefit from the fact that there are always people working on, fixing and updating the application. Features are continuously being added as technology and trends evolve. Security issues are handled swiftly. Once again, a small team of developers are not burdened (read: $$$ for the client) with constant maintenance. In the case of multimedia applications, negligible or non-existent fees provide bandwidth and server resources beyond the scope of what a smaller site could employee to manage weighty content.

3. Multiple channels: It used to be that if you had a Youtube video embedded on your site, it was viewed as an amateurish cop-out. Now with Youtube and social media sites garnering most of the web traffic, if you do not have a presence you are missing out. The beauty is that through technology we can now use these platforms and integrate the content back onto our own site. Now we do not need to duplicate our content. We can simultaneously feed separate audiences with the same content – efficiency is the word here.

4. Customization: Most 3rd party and Social Media services have extensive instructions and capabilities to integrate their service into your own site (and even others through sharing and syndication) in a fashion that does not necessarily come at the expense of your own brand [Vimeo video player example here].

- Rory Tucker

How does it work?

Location-aware applications deliver online content to users based on their physical location. Various technologies employ GPS, cell phone infrastructure, or wireless access points to identify where electronic devices such as mobile phones or laptops are, and users can choose to share that information with location-aware applications. Source: Wikipedia

Why does it matter?

What does this mean for marketers? Mobile marketing allows a rare opportunity for marketers to tailor to the convenience of the user.  To provide the ultimate customer experience.

We have the ability to provide guests in resorts with details on getting around, customers in shopping malls with promotions based on where they are standing and even get attendees to the right booth at your next trade fair.

As personalization and targeting trends continue, so does consumer faith in social reviews and the growth of mobile.

The combination of new devices, faster networks and new location-aware technology, will fuel this steady march toward greater significance.”.” Says a new report that outlined the ten key online marketing trends in 2010.

It’s no wonder location-aware mobile devices and platforms are growing exponentially.

Quite a Range

From Google’s introduction of a tiny Near Me Now option to customer review sites like Foursquare () and Yelp () and proprietary applications the range of location-aware options seems endless.

Another article on the Foursquare Business model.

Who is doing it?

A few interesting examples, Wynn Las Vegas and City of Chicago, of using Foursquare specifically were highlighted in a recent article on mashable.com. Here is an excerpt:

Wynn Las Vegas

Jade Bailey, the E-strategy Development Manager for the Wynn and Encore hotels, says that she started to notice Foursquare check-ins at the hotels about six months ago. She has since acted to engage with checked-in guests and seed locations inside the hotels with colorful tips, facts and stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, a Foursquare tip will reveal that the red chandeliers in Encore were inspired by the twirling of a women’s skirt and are made from Murano glass.

For the Wynn and Encore, the Foursquare strategy has less to do with besting the Vegas competition and more about complimenting and improving the overall service provided by the hotels.

To that purpose they’ve recently started a promotion that offers their Foursquare guests an even more luxurious experience. A recently launched special prompts checked-in guests with an opportunity to enjoy a glass of champagne at the Blush Boutique nightclub on the house, for example.

The City of Chicago

What we know of Chicago and what Chicago really is are two different realities, however, and that’s where the ExploreChicago Foursquare initiative comes into play. The city’s badge-style approach—themed around Chicago’s unique way of life—to encourage visitors and residents to unlock the history and culture of Chicago is truly avant-garde. Foursquare users can tap into hidden treasures in 77 different neighborhoods, explore 552 parks, and dine at more than 7,000 Chicago restaurants.

As the Chicago Office of Tourism’s web specialist, Sarah Best speaks to the opportunities that Foursquare creates with palpable enthusiasm. She describes it as a “new way to get people out and about in the city” and finds the spill over onto Twitter and social media, with people “live blogging their efforts to unlock all three badges in one day,” as exciting proof that the city is on the right track.

What’s next:

You can count on mass adoption coming soon as Facebook  ( 400+ million users) will be joining the location awareness bandwagon and we will see more from twitter based on some things they are developing (@anywhere). - Ruby Virk

On observe tous avec intérêt l’explosion des fonctionnalités offertes par les appareils intelligents et nous salivons juste à imaginer le potentiel marketing disponible. En fait, ces temps-ci, tout professionnel du marketing un tant soit peu informé ne peut échapper à des noms tels que Gowalla, Foursquare, Yelp, et à comment ils prennent de plus en plus de place. Voici un petit survol des applications de géolocalisation.

Comment ça fonctionne ?

Les applications de géolocalisation envoient des informations en ligne à des usagers en fonction de leur position. Les technologies employées comprennent le GPS, l’infrastructure de la téléphonie sans fil, ou des endroits d’accès à Internet sans fil afin d’identifier où des appareils électroniques comme le téléphone sans-fil ou l’ordinateur portable se trouvent, et les usagers peuvent fournir cette information à des applications de géolocalisation. Source:Wikipedia

Pourquoi c’est important ?

Qu’est-ce que cela signifie pour les responsables du marketing ? Le marketing mobile offre aux gestionnaires une occasion unique de créer une expérience sur mesure pour leurs clients et même d’offrir l’expérience client ultime.

Il est maintenant possible d’offrir des informations pour se diriger aux clients d’un centre de villégiature, de faire connaître des promotions à des consommateurs dans un centre d’achats selon l’endroit où ils se trouvent et même de diriger les personnes présentes à votre prochain salon au bon kiosque d’exposition.

Au fur et à mesure que la tendance à la personnalisation et au ciblage s’accentue, l’importance accordée par les consommateurs aux critiques de pairs et la croissance de la mobilité augmente.

Selon une nouvelle étude qui rapporte les dix plus importantes tendances Internet en marketing en 2010 (see link) « La combinaison de nouveaux dispositifs, de réseaux plus rapides et de la nouvelle technologie de géolocalisation alimentera l’élan vers une plus grande pertinence de l’information. »

Pas surprenant que la croissance des dispositifs et des plateformes de géolocalisation sur les appareils mobiles soit exponentielle.

Un grand rayon d’action

De l’option Near Me Now de Google qui donne accès à des sites de critiques de consommateurs tels Foursquare () et Yelp () et à des logiciels propriétaires dédiés, les possibilités offertes par les options de géolocalisation semblent illimitées.

Qui s’en sert ?

Quelques exemples intéressants, Wynn Las Vegas et la ville de Chicago, utilisant Foursquare ont été mentionnés dans un article paru récemment sur mashable.com. Extrait de http://mashable.com/2010/04/02/foursquare-brands/

Wynn Las Vegas

Jade Bailey, directrice du développement stratégie Internet pour les hôtels Wynn et Encore, raconte qu’elle a commencé à remarquer des inscriptions Foursquare dans les hôtels il y a environ six mois. Depuis, elle se met en contact avec ces arrivants et fournit des détails, des faits et des anecdotes colorées sur l’intérieur de l’hôtel qui seraient passés inaperçus. Par exemple, une note sur Foursquare révèle que les chandeliers rouges d’Encore ont été inspirés par le pli d’une jupe de femme et sont faits en verre Murano.

Chez Wynn et Encore, la stratégie Foursquare a plus à voir avec l’amélioration du service  offert par les hôtels qu’à surpasser la concurrence de Vegas.

Ainsi, ils ont récemment lancé une promotion adressée à leurs clients Foursquare qui leur permet de vivre une expérience encore plus luxueuse. Une offre spéciale toute récente permet à ces nouveaux arrivants de boire gratuitement un verre de champagne à la boîte de nuit Blush.

La ville de Chicago

Ce que nous connaissons de Chicago et ce qu’est vraiment Chicago sont deux choses différentes et c’est ici que l’initiative ExploreChicago de Foursquare prend tout son sens. L’approche de la ville par « écusson », centrée autour du style de vie unique de Chicago et qui invite les visiteurs et les résidents à s’approprier l’histoire et la culture de la ville des Vents, est avant-gardiste. Les utilisateurs Foursquare peuvent découvrir les trésors cachés de la ville dans 77 quartiers, explorer 552 parcs et manger dans plus de 7 000 restaurants de Chicago.

Sarah Best, spécialiste Web pour l’Office de tourisme de Chicago, est très enthousiaste quand elle décrit les opportunités engendrées par Foursquare. Elle en parle comme d’une « nouvelle façon de faire découvrir la ville » et trouve également que les échos sur Twitter et autres réseaux sociaux, avec des gens « en direct sur le blogue en train de faire part de leurs efforts pour obtenir les trois écussons dans la même journée », est la preuve que la ville ne se trompe pas.

Ce qui s’en vient :

On peut s’attendre à une adoption massive prochaine alors que Facebook (+ de 400 millions d’usagers) sera de la partie du phénomène de la géolocalisation. Twitter aussi est en train de développer des choses en relation avec le phénomène (@anywhere). - Ruby Virk

As far as Ski Travel Markets, no surprises here. The US represents 6% of skier visits and the UK is the next most important market representing 4.2% of skier visits followed by Australia/New Zealand at 3.2%. Mexico was recorded for the first time in 2008 and has surpassed Japan as the fourth largest international market at .5%

I’m not going to get into the details of the alpine skier profile and snowboarder profile as these are based on averages and tend to be pretty meaningless in the end.

Last but not least is the Ski Safety section which reports that skiing and riding have much lower incidence rate than any other winter sport (except snowmobiling, but is that really a sport?). Hockey has the highest incidence rate of head injuries even though helmet and face shield use is mandatory at all levels of amateur hockey.

So, that’s it folks. Put your kids in ski school instead of hockey programs and make friends with mexicans on your next surf trip – they may just be on the chairlift with you next ride up.