Billy Grenham of CycleBar: Here Are My Top 5 Tried + True Marketing Strategies

An Interview With Rachel Kline

Do the research and get the data anyway possible. You don’t need a big time agency to uncover amazing insights. Be a part of the community. Ride next to your customers. Sweat next to them. Find out where they like to go after class. Where they spend their time. These micro experiences will open new doors and new ways of providing value to your community.

Generally speaking, someone who is a CMO has learned a tremendous amount about marketing through years of experience. A CMO is in a perfect position to know what is more likely and less likely to work when it comes to marketing. What are the top 5 tried and true marketing strategies that CMOs recommend to other business leaders? As a part of our series called “CMOs Share Their Top 5 Tried + True Marketing Strategies,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Billy Grenham.

Billy Grenham is an 18-year marketing veteran who has worked for P&G, PepsiCo, Yum! Brands and most recently at Xponential Fitness as Chief Marketing Officer of CycleBar Franchising. He has launched successful brand strategies all around the world that tap into cultural passions and create fan-born movements. He is a global marketer who got his start in the industry by simply following in his parents footsteps.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My path in marketing was set for me by my parents Brian and Patty Grenham. They were 30 year owner/operators of a small gym in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Growing up, I got to witness first hand the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to grow a small business. There was never a farmers market or Christmas parade that we weren’t a part of to keep the business top-of-mind and be part of the community. During Christmas parades, my parents would meet folks and pass out information about the gym. Things really came full circle last year as I took my kids to march in the parade. Instead of my parents approaching the crowds — the crowds approached them giving them Christmas cards and updates from their families. My parents loved what they did and that passion was transferred and ultimately reciprocated by the community they served. It is the ultimate motivation for me and I’m so lucky to be able to continue their legacy in fitness on a global scale.

Right after I graduated college, I joined a PR firm to manage communications for Procter & Gamble — specifically Old Spice. After a few years of the agency grind I jumped to the client side as a Brand Manager for PepsiCo. It was a few years into that role when I got the opportunity of a lifetime to help lead Global Marketing for Taco Bell. After traveling the world for 5+ years and launching the brand in China, Brazil, Japan, and Thailand it was time to settle down domestically. When I got a call about the opportunity to lead a hospitality driven fitness company, Chuze Fitness, I had to take the chance. I was CMO of Chuze for 3 years navigating through the pandemic, rebuilding and launching their brand house, and growing memberships. It was an amazing experience but when I got a call about leading the CycleBar brand (fitness + franchising), I knew this would be the spot for me.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Besides my parents, I’d have to say my mentor and, at the time Taco Bell International Vice President, Rich Pinnella, who is the master of purpose. Understanding who you are and, more importantly, why you are here is the ultimate superpower and brand north star. He really grounded me in building brands with purpose because those brands will stand the test of time. I remember one moment vividly, we were launching Taco Bell in Japan and to celebrate the brand’s California heritage and “Live Mas” spirit I put on a wetsuit, grabbed a surfboard, complete with opening messaging in Japanese, and took to the streets. It didn’t take long for crowds and media to start following me when I noticed Rich yelling out his taxi “Go Billy Go!” I owe a lot to that man and his amazing spirit.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

CycleBar stands out because the business model was literally built on a foundation of charity and community. Our owners are encouraged to use the studios as “vehicles for good” to build locally relevant communities. Once every quarter, our owners will charge a set fee for each bike during a core campaign we call “CycleGives” to raise money for local charities. These charitable organizations can range from the humane society to local high schools in need of new sports uniforms. 100% of the money raised during CycleGives are donated directly to the organizations. It’s a wonderful way for first time riders to experience our amazing instructors while also making your mind, body and soul feel fantastic. Building community by giving back truly is our purpose. It’s in our brand DNA. Last year, we launched a global CycleGives campaign for breast cancer awareness with Susan. G. Komen which raised over $50,000. That was certainly a career highlight for me. We even made enough noise that the FLOTUS, Dr. Jill Biden, came and took a ride for charity. A nice sales byproduct of the event was a high percentage of new riders eventually bought a membership because they loved the workout. That was a perfect “win, win, win” example of living our purpose.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We are working on making our experience even more out-of-this-world. Our members have always said CycleBar is like a healthy nightclub so we’re putting rocket fuel on that insight. We’ve started “glowbal” glow rides with live DJs spinning in-studio, high quality black lights and we even added an official sponsor in Celsius Energy Drink for the events. Riders come into the studio, put on some glow war paint, grab a beverage, and head into the theater together to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience every month. It’s a unique in-person shared experience that individuals just can’t get at home. Last month we created a viral video on social media that featured 10 of our studios tossing a glow stick to each other across the US with the last studio throwing the stick to Australia to kick-off the event like an Olympic torch relay. It’s become so popular, our internal rallying cry is now, “Glow Big or Go Home.” I definitely recommend you check out our social media to see some of the content. It’s so much fun.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There are so many different types of marketing, from digital campaigns and content to influencer and PR. In your experience, has any one area had a bigger impact on business over the rest? Have any of these changed over time?

It is never really about one thing for me. It is always about the sum of the parts and an “inside out approach” to ensure the effort is authentic to the brand. When we partnered with Susan G. Komen, the first thing we did was put out an internal note to see if we had any breast cancer survivor stories from our community. We were overwhelmed by the amount of stories received from riders, instructors and our owners. We used that as our opportunity to tell personal stories that we shared with the world through PR, social media and partnerships. This approach humanized our charitable efforts and created a safe space for others to share their stories. That is the power of community and purpose. Purpose is power. Be unapologetic about it.

How often do you try a new marketing strategy, and which ‘boxes’ does it need to tick before you’re willing to implement it?

We are constantly in a “work-in-progress” state.. I try to inspire my team to think outside the box daily. Every other week we host “WIBCI sessions” outside our office. WIBCI stands for “Wouldn’t It Be Cool If.” The only rule to the WIBCI sessions is that you have to start your idea with “wouldn’t it be cool if.” It’s a fun way to start reframing ideas and taking a look at marketing through all sorts of different cultural lenses. We’ve implemented a ton of the ideas that were born from WIBCI.

In your opinion, is it better to try out new marketing tactics or to stick with what you know works? How do you decide where to allocate your budget and resources?

Constantly test and learn. All throughout my career I was taught to “Live in Beta.” Place small bets and let the data inform where you go and how big you go. Do not fear failure. Learn from it. This is how performance can influence brand strategy.

This is the main question of our interview. Can you please tell us your top five most successful marketing strategies? What kind of results did you see? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. “Ride as One”: Securing the buy-in from internal cross functional partners is mission critical for success. Before any brand moment can come to life, a collective understanding and championing of ideas must occur. The more “pre-work” that is done internally, the more ownership others will have over the ideas. When presenting our yearly CycleBar calendar to franchisees, we included our Education, Sales & Retail departments all (literally) on the same page. This showed franchisees that we were all “riding as one” to promote and build their business. It also empowered each department to support each other as new campaigns or promotions came to life. Lastly, when done correctly you can unlock amazing results. This approach was responsible for the CycleBar brand securing the #1 spot in the category with regard to media share of voice in Q1 2023 which was an achievement all functions could share and celebrate.
2. “Your Best Friend is Moving to Japan”: In 2015 we built a storytelling communications strategy to humanize the Taco Bell brand’s entry into Japan. We took to social media (as any millennial would) to give clues to the restaurant location, ask for local references and ultimately release the entire menu. By enlisting the help of influencers who had asked for Taco Bell to come to Japan years earlier — we were able to create a fan born movement that led to one of the most successful openings in Taco Bell history. To get in, you’d have to wait in a line 3-hours long which is a social badge of pride for millennials in Tokyo.
3. “Ring the Bell”: In 2016 the Taco Bell market entry strategy into Brazil was kicked off by using one superfan (who wrote a letter to our President) to launch the “Ring the Bell” scavenger hunt for entry into a VIP party. We had again leveraged all the fans that asked for Taco Bell via social media but we also layered in a huge grassroots campaign. We created a giant purple bell that we hid in various landmarks throughout Sao Paulo. The first fans to ring the bell in these locations were automatically given tickets to our exclusive grand opening VIP party. By seeding the locations on social media, we created a huge wave of momentum from our own channels that eventually carried into a very successful campaign. The strategy was so popular that we named the VIP group “Taco Lovers” and they started multiple fan born movements for the next 5–10 openings by activating their community on social media. Movements must be less about brand and more about the fans. It should always be about “them.”
4. “Give Them a Once in a Lifetime Experience”: While researching Taco Bell brand affinity on social media for the opening in Sheffield, England I came across something fascinating. A local band was using the Taco Bell logo on their merchandise and selling it to fans. If you do that in the U.S. you will be sent a cease and desist letter but for me, that was my way in. I used social media to do more research and it turns out they were huge fans of the brand — stopping at Taco Bell in every American city they toured in. I was so impressed with their passion, I reached out to ask if they would be part of the opening. To launch the opening of Taco Bell Sheffield, we had the rock band Neck Deep play an exclusive acoustic set in the restaurant for the first 100 fans. Once we put this news out on social media it spread like wildfire. Fans came from all over the country and even camped out the night before to be a part of this “once in a lifetime experience” — brought to them by a brand that hadn’t existed there the day before. We tapped into a cultural passion that went beyond product and used social media to create FOMO while giving these fans a reason (almost daring them to) to go over-the-top for their beloved band. We ended up purchasing the entire stock of the branded t-shirts and used them as free giveaways to the first 100 in the restaurant.
5. “Selfcare isn’t Selfish”: While CMO of big box fitness chain Chuze Fitness we needed to find a way to promote the “non typical” gym amenities offered to a female audience. Yoga classes, hydromassage lounges and smoothie bars were all fantastic gym offerings that never really had their moment to shine. To be intentional about promoting these amenities we launched “Selfcare September” which consisted of hydromassage happy hours, free yoga classes, signature smoothie drinks and a “rebrand” to “Chuze SelfCare” to highlight the importance of prioritizing one’s well being. This was a huge hit with the local press and trade media as others in the category were not addressing self-care and the mental health benefits associated with physical fitness. To take things one step further, we gave rewards points for all those that would “disconnect” from their cell phones and lock them in cell phone lockers. That fun aspect of the campaign was so rewarding for members that we noticed they were locking their phones away even without the points incentive. Those results were extremely successful in the short and long term because it brought a new female audience into the brand and it reframed Chuze’s positioning within the traditional fitness category.

Can you share a time when a strategy didn’t deliver the results you expected and what you learned from the experience?

Of course. Launching the yearly calendar at CycleBar was a bit too ambitious. Throughout the year, there are too many variables that cause businesses to ebb and flow. Providing flexibility within the framework is key to adapt to macro and micro challenges. Due to this, we scaled back the yearly schedule and moved into a quarterly calendar. This gives our team the opportunity to be reactive as well as proactive with our strategic approach. Be flexible. Be adaptable.

What expert tips can you share with those who just starting to build out their marketing strategy?

Do the research and get the data anyway possible. You don’t need a big time agency to uncover amazing insights. Be a part of the community. Ride next to your customers. Sweat next to them. Find out where they like to go after class. Where they spend their time. These micro experiences will open new doors and new ways of providing value to your community. This is how we find the local businesses to partner with CycleBar. Also, be sure to know your numbers. Data is the language of leadership and a wise woman once told me, “economics drives enthusiasm.”

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I’d love to build a movement to unleash the next wave of humble servant leaders. Folks that inspire and empower others with opportunity, tools and resources to go above and beyond. A new breed of “people first” champions that foster a culture of recognition. I am just a byproduct of the greatest leaders I’ve been lucky enough to work with. I’ve taken little elements of all of them and adapted them as my own. They always inspired me to get outside of my comfort zone and then they got out of the way. They’ve all instilled a passion for purpose and recognition within me. This is the type of humble leadership movement I’d like to inspire for the next generation. Let’s go!

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I’d first like to challenge readers to experience a ride at CycleBar. The first class is free so there’s nothing to lose. Whether you want to zone out for 45-minutes of “me time,” rock out to your favorite music, or if you just crave competition — there really is something for everyone. All are welcome. If you do take me up on that, I’d love to hear about it so please drop me a line at billy@cyclebar.com. You never know what you’ll uncover. Anyone else looking to connect can reach out via LinkedIn. There are also some fun videos on my profile that recap the above strategies. Thanks so much for the time!

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.