Amore Fitness and Boutique Spa: Established Brands Winner

MENTION the name Amore and images of women working out together come to mind.

After all, the annual Amore Women's Day Out event attracts thousands of women of all ages working out together.

The idea is to encourage women to integrate fitness into their lifestyles, says Ms Jasmine Teo (above), Amore Fitness and Boutique Spa's founder and chief operating officer.

"At the same time, this has been a nationwide awareness as well as a branding opportunity for us."

Such opportunities are taken seriously at Amore, and the ladies-only fitness centre and spa services provider is also a regular supporter of campaigns targeting women's fitness run by the Health Promotion Board and non-profit organisations.

These would help the company to achieve "top of mind awareness", says Ms Teo. With that, a consumer would recall a brand immediately when he looks for a certain product or service.

"With brand recognition, they will want to buy our product or service first," she adds.

Although the Amore name has been around for the past 22 years, Ms Teo feels that branding is an ongoing process.

"We constantly upgrade our brand image to match our target market's changing taste, and position ourselves ahead of time to lead the market," says Ms Teo.

"We don't just satisfy members' expectations with standard gym facilities, common group exercises or a common facial or body massage."

So it introduces its own signature workouts and specialised spa treats.

Ms Teo says Amore looks at the Singapore Prestige Brand Award as a "yearly brand audit", which allows them to reflect on where they stand, what they have done and how they are perceived.

Ms Teo says that with each branding exercise, she sees a significant increase in the gym's membership.

But, she believes that branding does not just impact the bottom line. It also "affects the non-tangibles".

"It creates a long-term support and relationship with business associates and members," she explains.

Thus, she says that at Amore, each employee, especially those who interact with members daily, is the company's brand ambassador.

"Their service attitude is a crucial element in maintaining our relationship with the members," says Ms Teo.

"At the end of the day, it is a single objective that we are working towards - to provide customers the best service while helping them to achieve their fitness goals."