Denmark’s largest fitness operator, fitness dk, attracted a record 4,200 new members in one day, following a New Year campaign that also saw a 1.2 per cent increase in the number of health club memberships across Denmark.

The campaign offered new members a discount according to their bodyweight. With a discount of 5DKR (44p) per kilogram, a new member weighing in at 80kg (12st,6lb) saved 400DKR (£35) on a membership. The minimum discount of 300DKR (£26) was available to every new member. The maximum discount was 1,000DKR (£87) for those weighing in at 150kg (23st,6lb) or more. The 4,200 new members weighed in at a total of 331,800kg (52,250st), giving a total discount of 1,659,000DKR (£146,000).

The offer was only valid on 6 January and was advertised on TV.

Rasmus Ingerslev, fitness dk CEO, says: “Very few initiatives before this have been able to succeed in activating the Danish population on a national level in this way.

“We were able to interact with potential members in such a way that they made specific New Year’s resolutions with us in mind,” continues Ingerslev.

“Our vision is to be a market developer, as well as a market leader. By attracting 4,200 new members in just one day, most of whom have not been members of a health club before, we are well on our way to bringing the level of Danes holding a club membership up from the current 6.5 per cent to the European average of 8.1 per cent.”