From hosting pop-up classes to fundraising at its corporate headquarters, the barre franchise is making a serious commitment to an important cause

Boutique fitness is all about community. It’s especially powerful when those community-building efforts go beyond working out and can touch people on a personal level.

The Bar Method, one of the world’s largest barre fitness franchises with nearly 100 locations, launched a brand-wide campaign to raise awareness and money for victims of domestic violence. So far, the barre brand is making a serious impact.

“We wanted to create a social, charitable impact strategy, and we chose domestic violence awareness for a few different reasons,” Stephanie Schon, president of The Bar Method, says of the initiative. “Most importantly, it aligns so well with our brand purpose to guide and embolden those who are always in pursuit of their personal best.”

Domestic violence isn’t a topic to be taken lightly. But The Bar Method felt like it had a part to play in supporting victims, especially since the majority of its members and franchise owners are female.

“It’s a heavy topic, but we felt strongly that if victims of domestic violence were brave enough to come forth asking for help, the brand – our staff, our owners – could be brave enough to be a beacon of support,” Schon tells Athletech News.

Inside The Bar Method’s Initiatives

To raise awareness and funding for domestic violence, The Bar Method has hosted donation events including pop-up classes, posted content on social media, and created a line of retail items featuring a purple ribbon, the symbol for domestic violence awareness. The barre brand has also created a donation website and has raised funding at its corporate headquarters in Woodbury, Minnesota.

To encourage participation at the local studio level, The Bar method offers a toolkit for its franchise owners that includes social media assets, in-studio signage and resources around events including Wear Purple Day, a national day of action for domestic violence awareness held on October 17th.

Some Bar Method franchise owners have decided to get involved on an even deeper level.

“We have examples of studios participating in 5K walks for domestic violence awareness or requesting specific donation items, such as purses to go toward shelters or supporting other local services, including moving organizations that help support victims in the throes of domestic violence,” Schon reports.

Around 75% of The Bar Method’s franchisees agreed to support the brand’s domestic violence awareness initiatives, and actual participation rates have been close to that level.

The goal is to get that participation rate closer to 100%, although Schon notes that everyone moves at their own pace when it comes to a sensitive topic like domestic violence.

“We’re not there yet, and that’s okay,” she says. “It is a heavy topic, and it’s sometimes hard to thread with our day-to-day. Additionally, many of our owners and staff have personal experiences with domestic violence, so we have to be thoughtful and have an empathetic approach to avoid any emotional triggers.”

The Bar Method is most active with its social-charitable initiative in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but the work goes on all year long. The brand has also been particularly active in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and in June during Pride Month, since domestic violence disproportionately affects members of the LGBTQ+ community.

A Powerful Brand-Building Tool

Social-charitable campaigns are obviously important for reasons that extend beyond profit and loss. But in 2024, they can also serve as valuable marketing tools for boutique fitness brands.  

“More and more consumers judge a brand’s value and impact beyond the marketplace, and it directly influences their purchase decisions,” Schon notes  “There is that social responsibility that I think a brand has, and consumers are looking for it.”

As evidence of this, The Bar Method sees consistently high engagement on social media when it posts about domestic violence awareness, especially in October.

“We get the largest engagement of anything we post all month (in October), all quarter long, in fact, with anything that’s related to domestic violence,” Schon says.

Real-Life Impact

October may be coming to an end, but The Bar Method’s efforts will continue on.

Looking ahead, Schon says the brand will work to get more of its franchisees involved in domestic violence awareness initiatives. The brand will also work to deepen its partnerships with national organizations that support victims of domestic violence.

While The Bar Method can’t share numbers regarding the funding it’s raised for domestic violence awareness, Schon feels the impact her brand is having.

“I get more and more people reaching out to me to say thank you and sharing their own stories, or their daughter’s stories, or their sister’s stories, or their girlfriend’s stories of domestic abuse,” Schon says. “These brave victims want to know they matter.”

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