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ClassPass, a leading global fitness and wellness booking platform, significantly boosted its marketing efforts in 2025, allocating over $50 million to attract new customers and expand its reach. This substantial investment underscores the company’s commitment to fueling growth within the rapidly expanding wellness sector, a market valued at over $6.8 trillion globally and projected to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029. The substantial marketing spend, detailed by the company and shared with Marketing Dive, aims to address the persistent challenges faced by local studios, gyms, and salons in acquiring new clientele through cost-prohibitive and time-consuming digital marketing channels.
The $50 million marketing expenditure for 2025 is not a one-time initiative but rather a foundational element of ClassPass’s operational strategy, according to Zach Apter, Chief Marketing Officer at Playlist, ClassPass’s parent company. "This isn’t a one-time investment," Apter stated. "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." This approach highlights a long-term vision for sustained marketing investment, directly correlating with the company’s expansion in both its user base and its network of partner businesses.
Founded in 2012, ClassPass has strategically positioned itself within a global fitness and wellness ecosystem that has experienced unprecedented growth. Despite the overall market’s buoyancy, individual businesses offering fitness classes, spa treatments, and other wellness services often grapple with heightened competition and the ongoing difficulty of attracting and retaining subscribers, particularly in an economic climate marked by persistent anxiety. ClassPass’s business model seeks to alleviate these pressures by connecting a broad spectrum of fitness enthusiasts with a diverse array of venues, thereby eliminating the need for direct membership with each individual establishment.
ClassPass’s comprehensive marketing strategy in 2025 encompassed a wide array of channels, including referral programs, paid media across platforms like Google, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, as well as investments in LinkedIn advertising, influencer collaborations, affiliate marketing, co-branded partnerships, and post-transaction advertising. The company employs a performance-driven model meticulously designed to enhance customer discovery, drive bookings, and foster partner growth. This multifaceted approach yielded impressive results, with fitness and wellness bookings experiencing a significant increase of 36% and 37%, respectively, throughout 2025.
The impact of ClassPass’s marketing efforts is evident in the testimonials of its partners. Nat Straub, Chief Strategy Officer at Jetset Pilates, highlighted the platform’s contribution to their expansion. "ClassPass has helped introduce Jetset to thousands of new clients as we continue expanding nationally and internationally, currently with 400+ studios in development," Straub remarked. "It’s been a valuable awareness and discovery channel as we grow the brand in both new and existing markets." This statement underscores ClassPass’s role as a catalyst for brand visibility and client acquisition for its partner businesses.
The Mechanics of ClassPass’s Marketing Strategy
ClassPass operates on a distinct model compared to the individual gyms and spas it partners with. Its core focus is on engaging a price-sensitive demographic that prioritizes value and convenience. The platform effectively facilitates the monetization of excess capacity for its partners, offering services to consumers who might not have otherwise discovered these businesses. ClassPass users subscribe to monthly plans, receiving credits that can be redeemed at any of the participating venues. In turn, partner businesses are responsible for their own direct marketing initiatives, with ClassPass acting as a complementary acquisition channel.
"We are not trying to replace, substitute or compete with our partners’ direct client marketing efforts," Apter clarified. "What we’re focusing on is finding a new audience for those partners that unlocks price discrimination. There’s a massive audience of people in the category who are interested in ClassPass that would have never tried studio fitness without ClassPass." This strategic positioning allows ClassPass to tap into an untapped market segment, effectively expanding the overall customer base for its partners and growing the total market for the fitness and wellness studios it serves.
Data shared by ClassPass reveals that a remarkable 94% of its users are new to the fitness venues they visit, indicating the platform’s efficacy in driving novel customer engagement. ClassPass is currently accessible in over 2,500 locations across 31 countries. As of June 2025, the company reported an average of 9.7 million website sessions and 3.3 million impressions on the Apple App Store each month. Furthermore, the average user demonstrated high engagement, opening the app an average of 31 times per month. These metrics paint a picture of a highly engaged, predominantly younger consumer base actively seeking out and patronizing partner businesses.
ClassPass undertakes a significant portion of its marketing and advertising operations in-house. This approach allows for agile experimentation and continuous optimization of its media mix, incorporating a broad spectrum of data-driven marketing channels. The company’s methodology involves rigorously testing spend levels in new channels and meticulously measuring their incremental impact. "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 explained, detailing the data-informed decision-making process that guides their marketing investments.
Sustained Growth Amidst Market Expansion
The fitness and wellness industry has experienced a significant resurgence following the pandemic-induced slowdown. ClassPass has capitalized on this trend, demonstrating consistent growth. However, the company acknowledges that it has yet to penetrate a fraction of its potential geographic markets, even within its established core cities. This expansive outlook fuels its continued commitment to marketing investment.
"We really expect that level of investment to continue to increase as we grow our audience, subscriber base and our partner network," Apter stated, projecting further expansion of their marketing budget. "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." This forward-looking perspective highlights ClassPass’s ambition to further solidify its position as a dominant player in the global wellness economy by continuing to invest in strategies that drive both user acquisition and partner success.
Broader Implications for the Wellness Industry
ClassPass’s substantial marketing investment has several key implications for the broader fitness and wellness industry. Firstly, it directly addresses a critical pain point for local businesses: customer acquisition costs. By absorbing a significant portion of these costs, ClassPass enables smaller studios and gyms to compete more effectively with larger, more established brands. This can lead to greater market diversity and more accessible wellness options for consumers.
Secondly, ClassPass’s data-driven approach to marketing and its focus on performance metrics can serve as a benchmark for other businesses within the sector. The emphasis on measuring incrementality and optimizing spend based on customer lifetime value offers valuable insights into effective digital marketing strategies. As the wellness market continues to evolve, such data-informed approaches will become increasingly crucial for sustainable growth.
Thirdly, ClassPass’s model of connecting users with new venues contributes to market expansion. By introducing a significant percentage of users to businesses they wouldn’t have otherwise discovered, ClassPass effectively broadens the reach and customer base for its partners. This can foster innovation and encourage businesses to diversify their offerings to cater to a wider audience.
The company’s strategic allocation of marketing funds across a diverse range of channels also reflects the evolving landscape of digital marketing. The inclusion of platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, alongside traditional channels like Google and Instagram, indicates an adaptive strategy to reach contemporary consumers where they are most active. This comprehensive approach not only drives immediate bookings but also builds long-term brand awareness and customer loyalty for both ClassPass and its partners.
As the global wellness market continues its upward trajectory, ClassPass’s sustained and increasing marketing investments position it to capture a larger share of this lucrative sector. The company’s ability to adapt, innovate, and strategically deploy capital will be crucial in navigating the competitive landscape and fulfilling its ambitious growth objectives. The $50 million figure is not merely a financial outlay; it represents a strategic commitment to empowering the wellness ecosystem and shaping the future of how consumers access health and fitness services worldwide.
