A new mobile app from Speedo plays a key role in the company?s efforts to inspire and engage fitness and competitive swimmers.

Speedo recently launched The Speedo Pace Club, a new Web site and mobile application that uses video, informative editorial, social activation and training modules to empower swimmers of all levels. The mobile part of the campaign also includes QR codes in the company?s catalog.

?Speedo Pace Club is the first campaign of its kind that empowers swimmers at all levels,? said Katie Tyrrell, director of marketing at Speedo USA, Los Angeles.

?We wanted users to be able to take Speedo Pace Club with them wherever they go ? the pool, the gym, when traveling, etc.,? she said. ?Speedo Pace Club is a training resource and in order for users to benefit from its full capabilities, we felt it needed to have a strong mobile component.

?The mobile component is critical because it allows users to take Pace Club to the point of product usage ? the pool.?

Speedo is a division of The Warnaco Group Inc.

Digital positioning
The idea for the campaign came from Speedo?s realization that fitness and competitive swimmers are looking for tools and resources to help them swim better.

Speedo Pace Club provides content that encourages users to train harder, maximize their workouts, track times and build their own online swimming community. 

It is Speedo?s largest digital initiative to date.

The goals are to create a deeper brand experience, provide value for swimmers, position Speedo in the digital space and boost the brand?s e-commerce and retail initiatives.

The Speedo Pace Club was designed by creative agency Syrup.

?Competitive and fitness swimming more often than not happens away from a residence and definitely away from a desktop/laptop,? said Ben Abramowitz, creative director at Syrup, New York. ?To be at the point of product usage, mobile provides Speedo with a way to deliver utility through training, and a direct line into product purchase, at time and point of need.?

There are five key components to the Speedo Pace Club: Training, Swim Team, Splash Tags, Athlete Blogs and Product Insight. A series of training modules are available that include 12 weeks of workouts, commentary and tips.

The Speedo Pace Club iPhone application provides the same workout tools, videos and social networking available on the Web site. User profiles and updates are synched between the app and Web site so a user?s activity is up-to-date.

Swim Team is social network created within Pace Club?s architecture. It provides a way to connect with other swimmers on Facebook to share progress and for support.

Additionally, digital badges are awarded to members as they reach certain levels. Fellow members can offer encouragement through ?high fives? on the site.

When users have a period of inactivity, phone messages from Team Speedo?s Olympic coaches will encourage users to dive back in.

There are also discount codes, distance-oriented badges and other rewards designed to incentivize ongoing participation.

Splash Tags is a swimming pool locator to help swimmers and families find pools, swim teams and swim programs in their neighborhood.

The application is available as a free download in the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPad. An Android version is expected to be available in late 2011.

QR codes
Speedo Pace Club will be supported with an integrated consumer and new media campaign designed to drive users to the site. The brand will promote Pace Club through Facebook, Twitter and You Tube, and through targeted outreach to its network of swim teams and swim clubs.

Mobile has also been incorporated into the new Speedo 2012 Racing Catalog, which features Speedo?s first ever QR codes.

The QR codes are another way to provide new and relevant content to Speedo customers. Catalog readers who scan a QR code with their mobile phone can view video interviews with competitive swimmers talking about how they use a particular item.

?We knew that as the world?s #1 swim brand, with a vision to inspire people to swim, we had a real opportunity to meet the needs of swimmers everywhere and deliver relevant content into the hands of our customer,? Ms. Tyrrell said.

?Through Speedo Pace Club we are providing utility to swimmers by offering tools and resources that support their active lifestyle while at the same time reinforcing Speedo as the online and mobile destination for competitive and fitness swimmers,? she said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer