• by Larissa Faw , September 25, 2014

Swimmers tend to be tech-savvy. They use gadgets to track their laps and analyze their stokes. Now, Speedo and creative agency Hello Design are introducing Speedo Fit, an app designed to motivate and empower fitness swimmers. 

With the understanding that swimmers of all levels are looking for more guidance in and out of the pool and are aiming to improve their workouts and technique, the two companies built a multi-faceted app to enable users to log and track swims, join challenges, interact with friends, find pools, learn proper technique in a new digital experience. 

Developed in partnership with Speedo International, Speedo Fit is the first global swim fitness app from the swim brand. It replaces Speedo Pace Club, which launched in 2011 as a swim training tool for competitive swimmers. Key learnings and content from Pace Club were used to create Speedo Fit, which is tailored to fitness swimmers of all levels and abilities. The app is available for download at the iTunes App Store.

“We knew we wanted to give fitness swimmers an easy way to tap into Speedo’s swim expertise to help them become better swimmers," says David Lai, Creative Director/CEO, Hello Design. "Speedo Fit addresses swimmers’ core needs by providing tools to help them set goals, track progress, and find pools.” 

The new app also offers tips and advice from Speedo's top athletes and enables swimmers to connect with each other.  

Also, a website provides a new branded experience that showcases the app’s features and benefits, as well as technique videos and curated gear featured in the app. The site will evolve into a hub of content for fitness swimmers and launch in stages with new content and features, including new workouts and more expert advice, throughout the coming months.

This tech-savvy focus for the brand is part of Speedo's repositioning to change the perception that Speedo is just a fitness brand. Still, the brand continues to utilize traditional tactics, most notably by supporting top-level athletes. Sponsored athletes including 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin and four-time Olympic medalist Summer Sanders and others are featured in the app's instructional videos and are raising awareness about the platform through PR and social media channels.

Speedo parent company PVH, which also owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, declined to specify ad spend by brand. The company spent $90 million on advertising in 2013, down from $132 million in 2012, according to company financial filings.