Cult.sport looks to come into its own with a new campaign

The fitness brand wishes to double its growth in most categories this year, says its business and growth head.

It is not every day one sees the sport of pithoo in an ad from a sports and fitness brand. That day was a few days ago when Cult.sport released its latest campaign urging people to get moving; something which is easier said than done.

A minute long, the first few bits of the ad will make you believe it’s people playing cricket with the ball running across the ground, people in tracks running behind it, only for the end to surprisingly reveal it’s not.

Cricket is the biggest sport in India but there are other sports too which many of us have grown up playing. “When you play a sport you need the right gear for it, even when you play a game like pithoo, you slide, you run, you twist, and you can't do it barefoot or in shoes which aren't very comfortable or not meant for it, says Arjun Choudhary, head of business and growth, Cult.sport

He says the brand is, through this campaign, looking at customers, existing and potential, between the ages of 25 and 40. The ad also served as a promotional tool for the brand’s sales.

Founded a few years ago as an offering to Cult.fit members, Cult.sport has blossomed into an online destination for sports apparel, equipment, supplements, and even smartwatches. Its intention, as per Choudhary, is to grow 2X to 3X in most categories this year.

“Equipment is a fairly important part of our business but the fastest growing ones are apparel, footwear, even outdoor cycles are a fast-growing category,” reveals the head of business and growth. He credits the success of the cycle category to the brand’s excellent delivery and installation network of over 19,000 pin codes.

“Today, cycles and equipment are roughly close to about 25% of our overall business. Apparel footwear, in which we have invested in the last year and a half, is growing, and over time, it will increase because the footwear market is bigger,” he comments.

A whopping 75% of Cult.sport users are members of Cult.fit and purchases mostly happen on the former’s D2C app/website; Cult.fit is also available on online marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio, and Myntra.

Cult.sport, however, will not foray into vast retail spaces like its rival Decathlon. “Yes, but not immediately,” says Choudhary.

Nutraceuticals and smartwatches are the newest bets from the brand. “We took a lot of time to arrive at the right product. We built it with our trainers and customers on the gym side…” explains the business head.