Obé has partnered with Bloomingdale’s.
The digital fitness platform — with celebrity fans who include Tiffany Haddish, Kate Hudson and Drew Barrymore — brings together the world of entertainment and exercise, coining the term “enter-trainment.” Classes are taught in costume, set to a particular soundtrack for special events in collaboration with Hollywood studios for themed releases that include HBO Max’s original “Sex and the City” series and Disney’s “West Side Story.”
Since launching nearly four years ago, founders Mark Mullett and Ashley Mills — formerly talent agents at CAA — have aimed to make fitness fun and more accessible than boutique classes, producing sleek, colorful, neon-lit sets (now with 22 live classes for $27 a month). As part of their strategy, the duo has also partnered with retailers including Outdoor Voices, Club Monaco and Athleta, which invested in Obé’s latest funding round.
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Now Obé has launched a project with Bloomingdale’s, offering a content series with three new, free classes that are found online at Bloomingdales.com as part of the retailer’s virtual “On Screen” events.
“They feature a range of movement styles to appeal to all fitness levels and demonstrate the variety that we provide,” said Melanie Parke, head of partnerships at Obé.
Obé signage with QR codes to sign up for the platform are found in-store through the month at Bloomingdale’s — which is currently showcasing an Obé window display at its 59th Street flagship in Manhattan.
“Our Bloomingdale’s On Screen events are designed to translate the excitement of our in-store activations into an engaging online experience for our customers across the country,” said Frank Berman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Bloomingdale’s, in a statement. “Our past fitness series resonated quite strongly with our On Screen viewers, and we’re thrilled to offer them something even more special this year by partnering with Obé Fitness. Whether it’s a pilates or high-intensity interval training class, this virtual fitness series offers viewers an entertaining and healthy way to kick-start the New Year. The On Screen platform also gives them the flexibility of enjoying these Obé classes remotely either in real time or on their own, while showcasing some of the top active brands they can discover at Bloomingdale’s.”
“Anytime we reach an audience, we reach a community that has shared interests, shared values, a brand with shared interests and shared values like Bloomingdale’s, like Athleta, it definitely serves as an incredible awareness driver and growth lever for Obé memberships, because we might be reaching an entirely new pocket of people who just hadn’t heard about us until that point in time,” said Mullett.
Obé has more retail partnerships coming, including co-branded apparel, he added.
“Fitness and fashion go hand in hand,” continued Mullett. “And, you know, when we look to the opportunities that we have ahead in the next year and years beyond that can continue to deliver really fun, vibrant retail experiences, within Obé, through our partners, it’s just deeply exciting.”