Ethnographies: Los Angeles gym enthusiasts, USA

When a new client of ours, a global fitness brand which designs workout classes, came to us looking to arrange in-person sessions with gym enthusiasts in Los Angeles, we were well equipped to assist since FieldworkHub has completed ethnographies and in-person research in various US cities previously.

Our client wished to gain a deeper understanding of gym-goers’ behaviours, motivations and wellness practices by observing how they engage with the gym and how their target audience develop routines. Our client asked us to concentrate on finding people who attend the gym at least once a week in downtown Los Angeles and are aged between 20 and 40 years old.

FieldworkHub recruited participants who met our client’s criteria for both individual exercise sessions and group exercise classes taking place at our client’s partner gym. We ensured to include an equal gender split for balance, as well as a good mix of ages within the range set by the client. Our team developed the screening criteria with our client, and recommended a verification process to ensure participants were located in Los Angeles and are regular gym-goers (each participant uploaded a photo of their gym pass to our secure drive).

We coordinated the in-person research into a step-by-step process to make the schedule easy for the client (who would be observing) and the participants to follow. The meeting point, directions, parking facilities (a must in Los Angeles!) and day passes to the gym were arranged by our team and the client was pleased by how smoothly the sessions ran. All they needed to do was focus on gathering insights. We received excellent feedback, and our client saw the benefit of conducting ethnographic research and being able to witness their target audience experience their product in real-life scenarios.