In 2019, the innovative power-couple behind Maxx Bench, honed in on their product line of revolutionary workout equipment with the mission of “Pressing The Limits Of Performance & Innovation” under the new umbrella brand of “Maxx Strength”.
We had previously collaborated with them to film and edit high-intensity workout videos for a separate, still in development project, and on backend development and upkeep of the former Maxx Bench website. We absolutely loved their energy, passion and innovation — so when we received the call to simultaneously design and develop a new web-store platform, and a marketing strategy that represented their new brand and mindset, we jumped in full force.
Website Design and Development
When it came to designing the website, we took a ground up approach, starting with an in-depth strategy session with the client to ensure that from the site map to the photography, we were creating a website that was as innovative, user friendly, sleek and eye catching as the products they would be selling from it.
Armed with the initial feedback and vision from the team at Maxx Strength, a full Coal Creative team brainstorm, and site map charting, Lead Web Developer & Lead Designer Matt got to work on the site mockup, with our Developer Travis laying the groundwork for the WooCommerce online store platform.
Travis went into the process anticipating and preparing for a large to infinite amount of web traffic — fast forward to December 2019, reviewing the analytics one month after the website launch, we’re once again thrilled that Travis is the self-taught web development guru that he is. On collaborating with the Maxx Strength team and brand Travis stated “I loved collaborating to bring their innovative ideas to the public and in my opinion, to be on the cutting edge of revolutionizing strength training”. Matt echoed his sentiment by saying “while it was a challenge showcasing their existing products around the new maxx strength brand, it was rewarding because it has become one of my favorite websites we’ve ever built”.
Photography and Video Production
Simultaneously, our video team was photographing the products for the website and filming and editing content that aligned with the developing marketing strategy — even filming at the premiere Gold’s Gym in Virginia, that boasts a fully equipped Maxx Strength training facility. They captured footage that has already been utilized across several videos, including a sizzle reel that was used to launch their new brand and has been viewed 55,000 between 11/6/19 and 12/3/19 on facebook alone.
Social Media Strategy
In November, 2019 we officially launched our social media marketing efforts. Creative Director, Sam pulled all the strings from the predetermined strategy, from the now-complete website, the stunning video content to the content strategy created by our newly formed Social Media team (Welcome Bri!) together into a calendar that kicked off with the above video and continued consistently with eye-catching, simple content that reflected their brand. Sam stated “As a storyteller, it’s really exciting to start fresh with a brand — you get to start at the beginning and grow with each successful campaign.”
Graphic Designer Samantha worked to create an illustrative style that would appeal to not only a mass audience, but to the experienced gym enthusiast or physical trainer “It can be hard to grasp the uniqueness of the product without seeing it in person, because their machines are so different than other workout machines out there now,” she stated.
At Coal Creative, to ensure authenticity, we really dive into the world of the brand we are collaborating with. Content specialist Bri said “I personally find creating Maxx Strength content fun. As someone who is currently on a fitness journey of my own, it’s interesting to learn about all of the innovative equipment they are putting out. It’s inspiring to see how the fitness landscape is changing and evolving”.
Launching the website and marketing strategy for an online retailer like Maxx Strength can be a heavy lift (pun-intended), especially right before cyber monday and the holidays. The passion, excitement and support from the team at Maxx Strength has made this development and marketing workout a true pleasure — and we’re excited to increase the weight (I’m done, I promise).
Director of Operations and Business Development, Holly stated “The team at Maxx Strength are excited, passionate, and committed to their brand and products. Our companies share a mutual appreciation for communication and collaboration which makes working alongside them such a valuable experience for our team here at Coal Creative.”