Scratch: CMO Interviews

We're joined by the Co-founder of Hyrox in this episode, Moritz Fuerste. Hyrox is a global fitness race that combines running with functional exercises. Hyrox is experiencing explosive growth in cities worldwide, with participation skyrocketing to over 210,000 athletes across 30 cities in the 2023/24 season and events selling out rapidly. Their origin story stemmed from identifying a gap in the fitness market for a measurable, repeatable sport that is accessible to everyone. Moritz discussed the model his team has used for a community-driven growth strategy that focuses on organic social media and partnerships with local gyms. This approach has allowed Hyrox to educate potential customers about their new product while creating a mutually beneficial relationship with fitness centers.

We break down Hyrox's unique marketing playbook, which focuses on event-centric promotion and word-of-mouth marketing over paid digital advertising. Moritz explains how their long purchase cycle is similar to buying a car, and how this has influenced their marketing approach. He also touches on the challenges of balancing mass participation with elite competition in their messaging & comms. As Hyrox continues to grow, they're now focusing on maximizing reach through live streaming of major events, seeing this as a key channel for media exposure. Throughout the episode, Moritz emphasizes the importance of adapting messaging, trying new things, and being willing to make mistakes in building a successful challenger brand.

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/m8FSZUGMUP4

📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:03:45)- Favourite Challenger Brand - Automotive Industry 🚗
• (00:07:00) - What is Hyrox? 🏃
• (00:11:50) - Hyrox’s Point-of-difference
• (00:21:00) - Why Hyrox has never invested in digital marketing
• (00:24:00) - What actually worked for Hyrox’s growth
• (00:41:00) Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• CMO of Fever-tree episode - Jeremy Kanter
• Fever-Tree

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Moritz Fuerste of Hyrox in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, Twitter.

Find Eric on LinkedIn and tweet him @efulwiler.

Find Moritz on LinkedIn.

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗  https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024