Using digital marketing channels like Google Ads and paid Instagram posts at the rate needed to attract new customers can be cost prohibitive and time consuming for local studios, gyms and salons. That’s why ClassPass, a booking platform that connects fitness buffs to a variety of venues without the need of a direct membership, invested over $50 million in marketing in 2025 — a figure that does not include any out-of-pocket spend by its partners.
“This isn't a one-time investment,” Zach Apter, CMO at ClassPass parent Playlist, said of the $50 million figure. “This is an evergreen, run-the-business capability. The marketing function for ClassPass and the level of investment dollars has scaled with the size of the business as we've grown the partner base and we've grown the member base over time.”
Founded in 2012, ClassPass has expanded alongside a global fitness and wellness market that reached over $6.8 trillion last year and is forecast to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029. Even as the overall market has ballooned, individual ClassPass partner businesses that provide the actual services face increased competition and difficulty attracting subscribers, especially during a period of persistent economic anxiety.
ClassPass’ marketing investment last year spanned referrals, paid media, Google, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, influencers, affiliates, co-branded partnerships and post-transaction advertising, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The company used a performance-driven model built around increasing discovery, bookings and partner growth and saw fitness and wellness bookings increase 36% and 37%, respectively, in 2025.
“ClassPass has helped introduce Jetset to thousands of new clients as we continue expanding nationally and internationally, currently with 400+ studios in development,” said Nat Straub, chief strategy officer at Jetset Pilates, in a statement. “It’s been a valuable awareness and discovery channel as we grow the brand in both new and existing markets.”
How ClassPass’ marketing works
Unlike the gyms and spas with which it partners, ClassPass is focused on a price-sensitive audience that is willing to trade convenience for value. The platform helps partners sell excess capacity that they wouldn't have sold otherwise to consumers who might not have found their business otherwise. ClassPass users pay monthly fees for credits that can be used at partner businesses, which pay for their own direct marketing efforts.
“We are not trying to replace, substitute or compete with our partners' direct client marketing efforts. What we’re focusing on is finding a new audience for those partners that unlocks price discrimination,” Apter explained. “There’s a massive audience of people in the category who are interested in ClassPass that would have never tried studio fitness without ClassPass.”
With that in mind, ClassPass’ marketing investment helped grow the total market for the fitness and wellness studios it serves — increasing bookings through its platforms and driving incremental growth with its partners.
Globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit, per data shared by the brand, which is available in more than 2,500 locations in 31 countries. As of June 2025, the company saw an average of 9.7 million sessions on its website and 3.3 million Apple App Store impressions per month, and the average user opened the app 31 times per month. These are younger, engaged consumers ready to patronize partner businesses.
To reach these consumers, ClassPass does much of its marketing and advertising work in-house, experimenting with and growing its media mix to include the full range of data-driven channels available to marketers.
“We test levels of spend into new channels, and we measure the incrementality of what those channels can deliver, and if it makes sense on a marginal [customer acquisition cost] basis relative to our [lifetime values], this is a channel that works for us, and then we push as much spend into the channel as is rational,” Apter said of the marketing strategy.
ClassPass continues to grow, especially as the fitness and wellness industry has surged after the lull of the peak pandemic period, but it is still only in a fraction of geographies that it could operate in, even in its core cities. And its plans for marketing investment will continue.
“We really expect that level of investment to continue to increase as we grow our audience, subscriber base and our partner network,” Apter said. “It’s just a huge green-field opportunity to continue to grow the business, and we’re excited to see that $50 million number grow into the future.”
