The Marketing Bestie Podcast with zoeunlimited - you DON'T need to become a "pilates princess"

Starting point is 00:00:00 How much does the perfect body cost? $100, $200, $1,000, $12,000. Congrats, you're officially a natural Pilates Princess. You think food is fun? No, you know what's fun? And hot and getting everything paid for. Was anybody else ever told that they're too fat to do Pilates? What do you do for a living?

Starting point is 00:00:28 I shop, drink matcha, go to Pilates, and stay beautiful. That's what I do. This video is brought to you by Shopify, but more on that later. If there's bigger flux than Hermes, a penthouse, a limited edition of Lubbub, it must be the Pilates body. It's Pilates. A statement piece on Kendall Jenner, Miley Cyrus, Black Ping Jenny, making Liv Schmidt $130,000 a month. Mindlessly grazing on snacks is giving farm animal, not she, cool girl. Like, babe, it's giving it's giving farm animal.

Starting point is 00:01:00 Building my skinny empire. Join the wait list to the coaching program for the Sky Society. The star of the entire Golden Globes. Welcome to the 82nd Golden Globes, O-Zempex Biggest Night. On you and your next-door neighbor third-ons for you page. In every $200 matching alo sets and $300 a week membership classes. Hello, Pilates, macho. I spent $2,000 to learn how to properly engage my core.

Starting point is 00:01:28 Even the CDC knows there are more millionaires than people with abs. So what's stopping you from getting the body of your dreams by these very easy, lightweight, sweat-free, natural goddess workouts? So many women have gotten leaner with Pilates without trying. But somehow, there is still a way to mess everything up. Being a Fuchon Pilates princess wasn't going to get me my dream body. Zero results. I gained 10 pounds switching to Pilates. What's happening? So how exactly is the Pilates body about to screw up more than 153.1 billion?

Starting point is 00:02:02 dollars a pretty privilege if you're 200 pounds you shouldn't be in a Pilates class there's no reason why they should allow 200 pound people in a level 2 class or you shouldn't be allowed to be a Pilates instructor if you have a gut and you're fat more so how did it become the it girl projected to reach 350 billion dollars by 23rd woke up Pilates obviously long lean and slightly superior to everyone else it's all marketing babe as your marketing bestee who graduated top 1% UCLA business economics. We're going to explore how even the hottest Pilates body can still fail you if you have a fake brand. Those women are real thin because they drink bone broth and they count almonds and they do Tracy Anderson method in their garage.

Starting point is 00:02:43 They simply don't eat. Pilates has completely taken away in my ass. It didn't work for me. And how you, yes you, no matter if you have the Pilates body or not, can build a successful brand to help you down your career. Especially if you don't come from a business background or have a team, team of Pilates models or a team of operating and marketing specialists. Well, I'm bringing on different founder friends who created seven, eight, nine-figure businesses, and the common thread is they run their brands on Shopify.

Starting point is 00:03:12 But the crazy thing is, from small businesses to Jim Shark, Skims, Kylie Cosmetics, anyone could start a brand on Shopify. Because by brand, I don't just mean getting the same Chanel set as Miley Cyrus. Or eat small to stay small like Le Schmidt. Welcome to my one minute water milk bomb. Stay drinking, I guess. Love you. Branding is about how your future client, future boss, future boyfriend sees you.

Starting point is 00:03:37 And yes, you have one. And you won't believe how easy it is to get it right with Shopify. Shopify is designed to make life easier for entrepreneurs, from beginners to big brands, by providing tools that simplify branding, such as Shopify SightK that creates content and executes tasks for you like a pro, Not to mention the simple drag-and-drop store editor, easy to use marketing tools and a back office that oversees all of your operations. I'm creating this series to analyze pop culture brands from a marketing perspective because I want all of us to unlock the unlimited potential to build successful businesses and personal brands.

Starting point is 00:04:15 Imagine having a digital assistant that helps you build a brand seamlessly, both online and in person. Pilates Princess or not, Shopify can turn your brand dream into a reality. today. Go to shopfly.com slash Zoe Limited for a free trial and see what is possible for you. Free email list below for additional marketing knowledge. And let's dive into the downfall of the Pilates Princess brand. Of the prettiest pink lies. Back in my skin routine. Pilates does not help you lose fat or build muscle. A lot of women are getting confused because they see real thin white women in Pilates and think that Pilates equals skinny. Pilates does not equal skinny. But first, how did the Pilates body become the it girl brand.

Starting point is 00:04:56 If your girl goes to Pilates, wipe her up immediately. Pay for her whole membership every month. It's expensive, but it's worth it. And I feel like I'm dead girl. Pilates Princess 1.0. Pilates was actually a person. In fact, it was a man. Joseph Pilates, a German-born gymnast and physical therapist

Starting point is 00:05:13 interned as an enemy alien in England during World War I. While in camp, he began experimenting with exercises using bed springs to help injure soldiers regain strength and flexibility, a system of exercises he called Contrology. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that these spring beds will become the reformers that the girlies pay $300 a week to go on. But notice from the origin here, A, Pilates was invented for rehabilitation.

Starting point is 00:05:40 Not forgetting the Miley Cyrus body, not forgetting snatched quickly like Kylie Jenner. In fact, you might get snatched slower by thinking that raising your arms 10 times in Pilates will save you from the sweat and God forbid bulkiness, by lifting at the gym. Don't wait lift, it makes you bulky, do Pilates. We'll go over that soon. But B, it did not start with an us versus them culture.

Starting point is 00:06:02 Of that girls saying that people over 200 pounds should not be in Pilates classes. Like, you guys think that I mean? People be telling me that Pilates machines can hold like two people. I'm two people. Which will become crucial in the cult-like marketing of the Pilates body. Now, as a fitness lover who has tried many, many different formats of workout, I don't hate Pilates, okay? It's fun, it's cute, it's overpriced, depending on what you want out of it.

Starting point is 00:06:29 But as a marketer, I see it as both a powerful play on branding cubes, but also an exploitation of three marketing manipulations that by the end of this video, you'd be able to see through. So how did a well-intention rehab exercise become this get-snatch quick scheme, the same brand as the ozempic body, using the same marketing, same target demographic, same promise of transformation. Pilates Princess 2.0. How much does the perfect body cost? Well, if you're going the Pilates route, that is $300 a week for classes, plus $200 matching sets, plus $150 reformer shoes you'll definitely need. But if you're not seeing the results

Starting point is 00:07:12 as Miley Cyrus or your skinny friend who didn't have much body fat to begin with and trained at the gym for five years, Don't worry, Hollywood also has this nice little cheat coat to snatch Miss Ozmpic. That is $1,000 a month or $12K plus a year. In fact, they made so much money they could sponsor the Golden Globes. Yep. Okay. When I sell my business, I want the best tax and investment advice. I want to help my kids, and I want to give back to the community.

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Starting point is 00:09:02 Conditions apply. Ozambic's biggest night. I've got the globes to do, so you know, got to get it all in. The whole show was an Ozambic campaign. That marketers copied fiber for fiber to Pilates. With the first marketing manipulation of association between Hollywood Glam and Eli Lilly's drugs and the Pilates body. What is the brand you guys? Just like how there are tons of plastic microfiber and stores on the streets in the trash.

Starting point is 00:09:29 But $3.90 a plastic turned into a hot brand that everyone is fighting and camping for. Because the halo value of Lubu came not just from the association with Pop Princess Lalisa, but also Dula Lipa, Rihanna, Rose, and everyone on your for you page. In addition, the placement of Labibu's on Hermes and other luxury handbags enhance the brand perception. Oh yeah, Libibu is luxury. Now that's some marketing magic that turns $3.90 into $13,000. What about the Pilates and Ozambic body, which are essentially the same physique? Flat stomach without the six-back, tone arms without visible muscle, long limbs, dancer lines, tiny waist, soft,

Starting point is 00:10:12 curves no bulk. Well since the 1990s, the VHS era wellness boom, celebs like Madonna Uma Thurman were name-dropping Pilates in interviews. Jim started offering not-so-cheap Pilates to meet demand for women seeking, quote-unquote, toned, not-bulky workouts. Entering the 2010s, Boutique Studio era, with the rise of SLT, club Pilates, and solid core, the association of the Pilates body with status and luxury continues to strengthen. A, with a high-class fees, B, with more and more celebs dropping hints at it in the media and on Instagram, Megan Markle, Courtney Kardashian, and even Jenny Kim.

Starting point is 00:10:50 But wait, wait, that's not all? Sure, all the it girls and successful women look like they're doing Pilates, but that's not a strong enough reason to drop $300 a week on a workout and $500 on the outfit, right? Enter the 2020s TikTok era. It's not just Black Pink Jenny doing Pilates now. It's not just Miley Cyrus trending Because of our Pilates Princess Arms and Abs, it's every girl on your 4-you page showcasing there. Hashtag Pilates abs, hashtag Matt Girl Era, hashtag with former rich routines.

Starting point is 00:11:21 Now, the association of Pilates is not just aspirational. It is associated with this is a normal way to be feminine. If you're not doing Pilates like you, are you even taking care of yourself as a girl? And if your girlfriends start taking classes together, blow your hard earned $500 to a few thousand. a month, a nice kiss of goodbye, because it's not just about the classes. When you identify as a pink Pilates girl in a Pink Pilates community, you are now branded with everything else associated with the brand of a Pilates princess. $30 air-a-one smoothies after each class, limited edition Stanley,

Starting point is 00:11:58 seven different matching sets, because God forbid you can't wear the same one, perhaps a second membership to another studio that offers a blowout. And perhaps the IV drips wellness center membership, and of course a longevity retreat in Switzerland. But wait a second. Where are your promised Miley Cyrus abs? Marketing manipulation number two. Status.

Starting point is 00:12:17 In order to understand this marketing technique, we should talk about cults. In the book Cultish by Amanda Montel, two of the six key elements in the formation of a cult are A, us versus them mentality, long, lean, and slightly superior to everyone else. B, repetition and ritual. Wink-Wing at your Pilates routine.

Starting point is 00:12:37 Now, not all cultish organizations have to be cults, and not all of them cost you an arm and a kidney after five years in, but from a marketing POV. It exposes that humans have a weakness that make them willingly, make these time and money sacrifices to be an occult. And that weakness is status. For the Pilates Princess, that status comes from two forms of exclusivity. Body exclusivity and price exclusivity. Pilates isn't about access. It's about aspirational restriction. Not everyone can afford it.

Starting point is 00:13:11 Not everyone can look right doing it. And that's exactly why it sells. Kind of look me up and down and in so many words, it's like, you know, maybe you need to come back. Maybe this isn't the best class for you. She didn't call me fat to my face, but she called me fat to my face. Starting with A, body exclusivity. This may be a hot take, but if you're 200 pounds, you shouldn't be in a Pilates class. There's no reason why they should allow 200-pound people in a level 2 class.

Starting point is 00:13:42 Or you shouldn't be allowed to be a Pilates instructor if you have a gut and you're fat. Maybe there is something wrong with me, but like I said, I'm really happy with who I am. I know my intentions in my heart, so like I don't want to change. For the girlies who thought Pilates is this magical ozempic, they're going to be so disappointed. Now, doing Pilates is a huge improvement from doing nothing. But there's also a flawed visual fallacy. Miley Cyrus didn't look like Miley Cyrus because she did Pilates. She happens to be Miley Cyrus and then did Pilates.

Starting point is 00:14:15 The marketing of the Pilates body is like putting the carriage in front of the horse. The Pilates body is unnatural to most or can be achieved through dedicated strength training and meticulous diet. Which is why it's so rare. Which is why it is so exclusive, which is why Liff Schmidt turned her body into an exclusive scarce commodity that makes $130,000 a month. You can either make your stomach the trash can or you can let the trash be trash. Everyone wants a slice of the secret into fitting into this aesthetic. But being sold a nice little dream that it could be effortless. Oh, don't lift weights. That's not elegant.

Starting point is 00:14:52 You need to naturally have less than 12% body fat while being effortlessly. Sculpt it soft and feminine with no sweat in the newest season of Allosettes with a mach-lotte in one hand and it runs smoothie in another, which seems utterly normal in the digital age. Now that the people we see on screen the most are either on Ozambic or have the resources to hire trainers, nutritionists to maintain this elite aesthetic. I don't believe in shortcut. But when you are accepted into the club, ah, yes, that relief that you, yes you, you are now part of the elite and exclusive. You are an insider.

Starting point is 00:15:27 Pilates just had the place in my heart. The energy is so great. And you are now associated with all the branding halos of the Pilates Princess, disciplined, posh, wealthy, things. feminine and most above all natural this entire aesthetic image ties the body exclusivity with the price exclusivity flipping right back into my skinny New York City routine making it even more desirable and marketful they also had an M-sculpt room which is like 20,000 crunches of treatment before we left we stopped at the cafe where they'll make you a drink and they gave us these coop kitchen meals for after I love L.A because the less natural something is signals the higher cost of getting it and some clubs and

Starting point is 00:16:07 purposely create a long wait list to create FOMO, create the us versus them. Or only pick out the girls that have the Pilates look when screening their Instagram handles through the applications. Which makes it all the more exclusive, the more desirable. You're no longer going to Pilates for you. You're going for other people to see you go. It was about getting the body that only a certain type of women could afford to have and being quote unquote good in this. to be a part of the Pilates Body Club. Except, did they get this body through Pilates?

Starting point is 00:16:43 Marketing manipulation number three. Fear. Are you unknowingly bloated all the time? Are you doing Pilates wrong and it's making you bulky? Is your workout raising your cortisol and making you fat? What is fear-based marketing? It is when a brand taps into your insecurities, anxieties, or fears, then offers their products as a solution.

Starting point is 00:17:03 Not you want this, but you don't want what happened. if you don't get this. People don't buy with logic. They buy with emotions, then justify it later with logic. Notice the formula. First, expose a problem you didn't know you had. Second, amplify the urgency and insecurity. Third, present a quick fix.

Starting point is 00:17:24 Product membership workout. In addition to selling you the fear of quote unquote getting fat if you don't do Pilates, the Pilates Princess Culture also markets you the fear of getting muscle. Oh no, you cannot be bulky and men like, which from over five years of lifting, I can tell you, is total BS. A, the amount of caloric surplus, grams of protein, and progressive overload you need to build just a little bit of muscle is so high.

Starting point is 00:17:49 You have to take the steroids and eat seven chicken breasts a day like the gym bros in order to look like a gym bro. But more importantly, B, women need muscles for health to prevent bone fractures as we age. But the fear is very valid. I did so much cardio I hated at it. the very beginning of my PCOS late-lost journey because muscles have been so demonized and I thought I would look like Hulk if I lift. But no, I just look like what I look like now. I took care of my body and as the byproduct have apps and this is why the Pilates body brand, meaning every single business built on selling this image, is doomed for a downfall because

Starting point is 00:18:27 it's selling artificial value through dishonest marketing. In addition to emotional manipulation of fear, creating this us versus them, us being the Pilates girlies, them being everyone else who choose other ways to take care of their bodies, like lifting weights that might ironically actually get them to the Pilates body. It dangles this unrealistic carrot of get snatch quick, no lifting heavy, knowing damn well that 90% of the people it's targeting will not get the results. But the community will make it feel like a you problem. You just haven't done enough classes.

Starting point is 00:18:58 Wink wink wink. Wallet? You just need to eat cleaner. Wink wink wink, air one. Don't get me wrong. I think Pilates is a great way to move the body. great way to have fun in a class environment but when packaged and sold as a get-snatched quick solution or a status symbol most likely the only thing getting snatched is your wallet the snatch Pilates body

Starting point is 00:19:19 are a result of a genetics b building muscles c having a low enough body fat percentage none of these are promised by three hundred dollar classes or two hundred dollars sets and of the ones you can control building muscle and lowering body fat Pilates is one of the least efficient and most expensive ways. No bulkiness, remember, but I have to say one of the best market of ways. Time with the increased demand of thinness as the body positivity wave dies down. The Pilates body says it's all about health and empowerment, yet there is nothing healthy or empowering about not gaining muscles. In fact, that's the side effect of Ozympic. It's just a matter of time that the girlies realize $30 airwong smoothies with 700 calories and 40 grams of sugar are probably not doing them too much in health

Starting point is 00:20:05 improvement neither do the $200 cute sets nor the third $300 gym membership. Yeah, I actually know someone who has that. But let me know if you think the Pilates body brand is here to stay or it will just like the BBL epidemic hit its grave for homework, ask yourself or your business. What problem does your brand solve emotionally? What are you doing that feels on trend but not true to you? If you learn something here, send it to someone you love, give it a five star rating. Free email us resources, all links are below.

Starting point is 00:20:33 This is your marketing bestie, Zoe Unlimited. Episodes are available on all podcast networks, Apple, Spotify, YouTube. And if you like this episode, make sure to check out these other two I made just for you. Rosen lasagna, medium power, 15 minutes. Sounds like Ojo time. Let's play. Feel the fun with Play Ojo. The online casino with all the latest slot and live casino games.

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The Marketing Bestie Podcast with zoeunlimited - you DON'T need to become a "pilates princess"

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