Partnerships as product, not just promotion.
Equinox used partnerships to extend the member experience, strengthen brand relevance, and create new revenue opportunities.
American Express Platinum became one of the strongest examples of that strategy, evolving from content into a longer-term platform of digital workouts, exclusive events, and new member interactions.
From useful content to something members wanted more of.
The relationship began with Equinox Insider: fifty curated tips across fitness, nutrition, and travel distributed through clubs and member communications.
The series saw strong engagement and positive feedback, creating a clear reason for American Express Platinum to return.
The second partnership could not feel like a sequel.
The next collaboration needed to move beyond useful information and create more tangible ways for members to engage with both brands.
That meant designing not just a campaign, but a repeatable experience across digital, club, and live-event touchpoints.
Four principles shaped the experience.
Tier X coaches led the campaign, bringing Equinox's highest level of training expertise to the experience.
The partnership needed to feel premium enough to match both Equinox and American Express Platinum.
The previous campaign focused on information. This one needed members to directly experience the value.
The experience should live in-club, out of club, and digitally—available beyond a single campaign moment.
Give the partnership a system of its own.
Because Tier X trainers were at the center of the campaign, I streamlined the “X” from the Tier X program and used it to create the Platform X identity.
Multiple logo variations were developed so the identity could flex across promotional assets, video, club signage, and digital surfaces.
Platform X: a partnership people could actually use.
Platform X became a first-of-its-kind workout series accessible anywhere, anytime.
Members received 24/7 access to twenty 10-minute video workouts led by four Equinox trainers across cardio, power and agility, strength, mobility, and conditioning.
The platform also became the home for interactive experiences like Text-a-Trainer and exclusive workout pop-ups.
A home for workouts, events, and campaign updates.
The microsite had three jobs: showcase the workout library clearly, surface new events and updates, and remain easy to share and load through the member app.
Bring the live experience into the member journey.
Previous pop-up classes sent members off-platform to register, creating a fragmented experience.
For Platform X, we worked with engineering to integrate the pop-up class directly into the Equinox member-app booking schedule for the first time.
Make the partnership feel culturally relevant, not transactional.
Platform X extended beyond the screen into high-touch experiences designed to position Equinox as a lifestyle brand, not only a place to work out.
In the Hamptons, Tier X coaches and a group-fitness instructor led a five-week summer series blending MetCon3 with Tier X principles. At Coachella, Equinox Body Lab offered Cryo facials, acupuncture, CBD-targeted massage, and a guided morning run.
The live experiences travelled far beyond the room.
Coachella services were fully booked with a waitlist, serving roughly 200 guests. The guided run also filled with 50 RSVPs and a waitlist.
A new way to talk directly to Equinox expertise.
Text-a-Trainer let members connect directly with Tier X trainers by text for workout guidance, fitness questions, and support.
Because the concept needed to launch quickly, we used third-party software rather than building a custom platform.
The experience had clear limitations—especially around automation and personalization—but I do not see that as a reason to dismiss the experiment.
It gave us a practical way to test a new engagement model before investing in a more sophisticated product.
What began as a five-week series became a lasting program.
The Hamptons activation was Equinox's first presence there. Strong participation, social reach, and member feedback helped it evolve into the ongoing Equinox x Hamptons program in later years.
More broadly, Platform X helped demonstrate that partnerships could be more than co-branded marketing. They could create repeatable products, member experiences, and meaningful revenue opportunities.
