The Battle for Attention: Push vs Pull Marketing in Fitness

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If you run a gym or swim school, you know all about “push” and “pull.” They are the foundation of a balanced workout. It turns out they are also the foundation of a balanced marketing strategy. This strategy is crucial for winning in the modern attention economy.

A new study from Yi-Chun Ho and colleagues (2025) examined an often overlooked question. They looked at whether the timing and format of an ad matter more than its size. Their paper, The Hunger Game of Attention: Push versus Pull Advertising on Food-Delivery Platforms, found that winning isn’t always about having the biggest ad. The timing of the ad matters. The ad that appears first when people are hungry is the one that wins. The winning ad is the one that appears first when people are hungry.

And before you scroll past, think “that’s food, not fitness.” Remember this: gyms and swim schools are in the same attention economy. The difference between a full class and an empty one is rarely motivation. It’s timing.

What the study found

The research analysed more than 12,000 restaurants across China’s largest food-delivery platform. The platform launched a new push ad system. This system consists of notifications and promotions sent directly to users. It compared the results of this system to the existing pull ads. These are the kind you see when you search or scroll voluntarily.

Here’s what they found:

• Push ads lifted total attention by 80% and increased orders for participating restaurants by a huge 165%.
• Return on investment doubled for businesses that used push at least once.
• Pull ads alone lost exposure, but overall attention rose across the platform.
• Higher-rated and chain venues benefited most, while smaller independents saw push replace, rather than complement, their existing pull campaigns.

In short, push didn’t just grab attention. It expanded the attention market itself.

When the platform nudged people at the right moment (“Hungry? Order now”), users acted fast. They didn’t spend ten minutes comparing restaurants or checking reviews. They clicked.

Ultimately, that’s not just marketing performance. That’s psychology in motion. This is the core of push vs pull marketing in fitness.

The psychology behind the push advantage

Food-delivery might sound far removed from fitness, but it’s built on the same behavioural mechanics that drive our members.

1. Present bias When we’re in a “hot state” (hungry, tired, or restless), we choose whatever offers instant relief. Push messages hit during that window. Pull marketing, like a search ad or website, waits for people to enter a “cold state” and go looking. (Read more on present bias: why we act for now, not later.)
2. Salience bias People don’t always choose what’s best. They choose what’s most visible. A well-timed push notification can be more effective than a perfectly designed landing page. This happens when it arrives at the exact moment the user’s brain is craving a cue. (Explore salience bias: the science of standing out.)
3. Friction cost Every extra tap, scroll, or page load is an obstacle. Push advertising removes those steps with one tap from cue to action. In contrast, Pull relies on a longer, more deliberate path.
4. Cognitive load Choice can be the enemy of action. When users search (pull), they see dozens of options. Under time pressure, too many choices stall decisions. Push narrows the field to one: “Book now.”

Together, these biases explain why push advertising wins the moment. It doesn’t wait for people to think. It catches them before they do.

What this means for gyms and swim schools

We talk about “member journeys,” but most journeys never start. This isn’t because people don’t care. Instead, they just never reach the search bar. The fitness version of the Hunger Game isn’t fought in Google results. It’s fought in the notification bar. This is where mastering push vs pull marketing in fitness really matters.

Consequently, here’s how to translate Ho et al.’s findings into the fitness world.

1. Time your push messages to member states

Think about when your audience is most likely to act:

• In the early morning, you can target habit-builders and commuters.
• At lunchtime, reach office workers looking for a mental break.
• After school is the time for parents planning the evening.
• In the evening, people experience decision fatigue and crave simplicity.

Push works best when it lands inside these micro-moments. This is because it’s right before a routine window when people are open to easy choices.

2. Make every push message frictionless

If a member has to open your app, navigate to classes, then scroll for a session, you’ve lost them. For example, the study showed conversion rises when push links jump directly to the booking screen.

Use one message, one link, one action. Example:

“6:15 pm Swim Fit (3 spots left). Tap to book.”

3. Keep pull marketing ready for intent

Pull is still essential. After all, when people search “swim school Bendigo” or “Pilates near me,” they already intend to act. That’s where your website, timetable clarity, and pricing transparency win.

A clean Google Business profile, schema-coded timetable, and up-to-date reviews make your pull channels convert that intent.

4. Match your message to your brand strength

The study found chains with strong reputations increased both push and pull spending and gained the most from push. For smaller independents, push replaced pull. This means attention rose, but total marketing effectiveness didn’t.

In fitness, this means if your brand is known, push and pull reinforce each other. Similarly, if it’s not, push might get you attention, but your digital presence must still convert it.

5. Avoid the attention trap

Push is powerful, but it fades fast. The goal isn’t just to win a click. It’s to build a habit. Once someone acts, move from push prompts to pull routines, such as app reminders, consistent class slots, and visible progress. Understanding what actually keeps members from leaving is where the real retention work begins.

That’s how you transform attention into loyalty.

The behavioural blueprint

Let’s boil the research down into an attention architecture you can use.

Goal	Channel	Bias leveraged	Example
Trigger immediate action	Push (SMS, app, email)	Present bias, salience	“Tonight 6 pm HIIT. Book now”
Support high-intent searches	Pull (Google, Maps, SEO)	Commitment bias, trust	“Learn to swim Bendigo. First lesson free”
Build habit loops	App reminders, progress badges	Consistency bias	“You’ve hit 3 sessions this week. Keep the streak.”
Re-engage lapses	Push after inactivity	Loss aversion	“Your credits expire soon. Don’t waste them.”

Push captures attention. Pull converts intent. Habit design keeps it.

(See our Cognitive Bias Library for the full list of biases you can use to build these loops.)

Testing push vs pull in your own club

You don’t need a national platform to experiment. Try this simple three-step test:

1. Split your audience. Send half your members a direct push (app or SMS) promoting a specific class or offer. Let the other half find it naturally through your website or timetable.
2. Track the right metrics. Measure taps-to-book, show-up rates, and 30-day retention, not just opens.
3. Refine your timing. If most push bookings happen within two hours of the message, you’ve found your prime window.

Expect push to drive the first click and pull to secure long-term commitment. That mirrors exactly what Ho et al. (2025) found in their data.

The real Hunger Game

Ultimately, we’re all fighting for the same scarce resource: attention. When it comes to push vs pull marketing in fitness, most gyms still treat it like a shouting contest. They use louder music, brighter flyers, and more “limited time only” sales. But as the study shows, attention isn’t won by shouting. Instead, it’s won by showing up at the right moment in the right way.

Food-delivery apps learned this the hard way. The winners weren’t the ones with bigger menus or fancier photography. Rather, they were the ones who removed friction. They met people in their moment of need. This approach turned “I might” into “I will.”

In fitness, that moment isn’t when someone’s researching memberships. It’s when they’re standing in the kitchen after work, tired, scrolling for a reason not to flop on the couch. That’s when a gentle nudge, like “Book your 6 pm class,” beats a banner ad every time.

Therefore, push gets you attention. Pull earns trust.

Balance them, and you’ll stop competing in the Hunger Game and start writing the rules.

Want to dig deeper?

• Explore the full Cognitive Bias Library.
• Learn how Present Bias drives short-term decisions.
• See how Salience Bias shapes what members notice.

Reference:

Ho, Y-C., Li, S., & Li, X. (2025). The Hunger Game of Attention: Push versus Pull Advertising on Food-Delivery Platforms.