What 20 SoulCycle Classes In 28 Days Taught Me About Brands

As a strategist in the marketing world, I believe that brands and products have the power to take on a much bigger meaning in our lives beyond their functional benefit.

I’ve spent a career helping brands figure out how to do just that, but it had been a while since I experienced such bigness from a brand (as a consumer) — until SoulCycle recently swept me off my feet and placed me onto one of its bikes for a transcendent journey.

For those who aren’t familiar with the brand, SoulCycle is a spin studio with classes set to great music. The classes are fun and feel almost spiritual.

Not only is it a serious workout, but just 45 minutes can transform my mood from one of discouragement to encouragement; from feeling as if I’m all on my own in the world, to feeling as if I’m a part of something much bigger. I go from focusing on what’s missing in my life to all that fills my life.

SoulCycle’s promise — that you can change for the better with a group of like-minded souls — is inspiring.

The strategist in me is also amazed by the brand’s loyal following: Angelenos gladly pay $30 per class; riders walk around with more swagger when they are rocking their SoulCycle gear; and fans of the brand can’t stop talking about it. I think a lot about SoulCycle and what other brands can learn from them. Little did I know that SoulCycle’s “Turn it Up 20” challenge, which invited customers to complete 20 rides in 30 days, would give me some insight.

With “Turn it Up 20,” the brand increases its revenue per rider and entices customers to invest more of their time, sweat and dollars in the goal of self improvement. Customers get motivated to work out more and have some serious social currency to share in return. A win win, although I didn’t think I was up for the challenge when I first heard about it in October 2015.

Then, on the morning of December 24, 2015, the first day of a much-needed holiday break, I began brainstorming ways to recharge for the New Year. Ideas like spa treatments, a retreat, digital detoxing, driving up Pacific Coast Highway with no destination, all came to mind. Surprisingly, I decided to conduct my own personal SoulCycle “Turn it Up 20” and completed all 20 in 28 days.

These classes ended up being so much more meaningful than 20 workouts. And therein lies the secret to SoulCycle’s success: they consistently deliver the “so much more than” feeling across the many ways consumers experience the brand.

When I think back on those 28 days I don’t just remember burning calories or getting my heart rate up. I remember celebrating Christmas Day with a class, Instagramming my progress, watching the sunrise for the first time in years on my way to my first ever 7 a.m. workout.

I said “no” to things so I could say “yes” to a class. I SoulCycled with colleagues before heading into the office, discovered all kinds of new music and added SoulCycle playlists to my Spotify feed. I remember how awesome it felt to accomplish something I set out to do and that I had SoulCycle to thank for changing my outlook and behavior in positive ways, mostly outside of their studio.

Having a brand at the center of my efforts to become a better version of myself was totally unexpected, but also incredibly inspiring.

If only all brands could act that way.

Kristina Jenkins (KJ) is Chief Strategy Officer at Zambezi, an independent creative agency based in Los Angeles.