IMPLEMENTASI MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX (MCM) PADA AKUN INSTAGRAM @gritfitness.mlg UNTUK MENINGKATKAN JUMLAH MEMBER GRIT FITNESS

The healthy lifestyle trend has driven the growth of the fitness industry, including in Malang City. In a competitive market situation, small and medium-sized fitness enterprises are required to design relevant and structured marketing communications. This study aims to describe the implementation of the Marketing Communication Mix (MCM) on the Instagram account @gritfitness.mlg to increase the number of Grit Fitness members. This research employs a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study method and uses eight components of MCM as the analytical framework: advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, events and experiences, interactive marketing, and word of mouth. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s technique, and validated through source triangulation.

The findings reveal that all MCM components are utilized with varying intensity and function. Events and experiences are dominant in terms of impact, while public relations, interactive marketing, and word of mouth are dominant in frequency. Other components tend to be situational and minimal. These results indicate that Grit Fitness implements all components of MCM, although not explicitly designed based on the MCM framework. This study broadens the understanding of how SME marketing communication practices can be mapped through the MCM concept and shows that differences in the level of component use are influenced by platform characteristics, audience preferences, internal resources, and brand positioning.