Three Lessons from the CMO of Crunch Fitness for Advertising and Marketing Professionals

When Chad Waetzig was in his late twenties, he walked away from a stable finance career at Procter & Gamble to take an entry-level role in marketing. It was a step backward on paper. But it launched a path that led him to become the Chief Marketing Officer of Crunch Fitness, where he now oversees a 20-person team and a national brand with more than 500 locations.

On the Breaking and Entering Brandside Podcast, Waetzig shared insights that apply to anyone looking to break into or grow within the fields of advertising and marketing. Below are three lessons from his career that stand out.

1. Strategy Beats Titles: Be Willing to Start Over to Get Where You Want to Go

Waetzig made the leap from finance to marketing after a brand manager at P&G encouraged him to switch tracks. Despite being well into his career, he started again at an entry-level brand role.

“I was a certain level in finance at P&G. I took a step down to learn the role from the ground up,” he said.

The move paid off. His hands-on learning in brand management, paired with his financial acumen, accelerated his ability to lead complex marketing efforts.

The takeaway is clear: when making a career pivot, do not chase the title. Chase the skills that will compound over time.

2. Know the Business First, Then the Brand

Before Crunch, Waetzig studied both marketing and finance at the University of Kansas. He credits this combination with helping him become a more strategic marketer.

“What I liked about finance was understanding how a business makes money,” he said. “Marketing is not just advertising. It is also strategy, insights, and analysis.”

He advises early-career professionals to build business fluency. That foundation will make you more effective in campaign planning, media decisions, and conversations with leadership.

And for those considering an MBA, his advice is to get real-world experience first. Then decide if the degree aligns with your direction.

3. Brand Consistency Is Built with Systems, Not Just Vision

When Waetzig joined Crunch, it had 125 locations. Today, the brand has more than 500 and continues to grow. That scale required more than just creative campaigns. It required systems to support national expansion.

From the beginning, he focused on building infrastructure that enabled franchisees to localize marketing while staying on-brand. Crunch now offers templated assets, dynamic content tools, and a national promotion calendar that franchisees can use across markets.

“You cannot run a 500-unit business the same way you run a 125-unit business,” he said. “We built for scale from the start.”

The most recent brand campaign, Feel Good Here, was born from that infrastructure. The message is simple: life is hard, fitness should feel good. With help from agency partner Familiar Creatures, the campaign embraced humor and relatability without relying on unrealistic body standards or polished stereotypes.

“We show people of all body types, all ages, all walks of life,” he said. “Crunch is a place where you belong.”

Chad Waetzig’s journey offers a practical blueprint for modern marketing professionals

Whether you are just starting out or reassessing your direction, Waetzig’s story reinforces the value of business fluency, strategic risk-taking, and building systems that scale. He did not follow a traditional path to the CMO seat, and he did not rely on an advanced degree to get there. But his impact and his approach are worth studying.

To hear the full conversation, including details about Crunch’s expansion strategy, media planning, and post-pandemic brand evolution, listen to the full episode of the Breaking and Entering Brandside Podcast.

Listen to the full episode:

Watch on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0c7nzjvSTHWxRnuSnnoJAW?si=IaySVa5QSdmjHw5knPjr9g

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AMMqCj2fFaU?si=GLh-mJ9FVFwXCM0y

Leave a review on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-ab-vertising/id1506434104?i=1000718896073

Episode Summary: Chad Waetzig, Chief Marketing Officer at Crunch Fitness, shares how he went from finance to brand leadership, how he scaled a fitness brand across hundreds of locations, and what young marketing professionals should focus on as they grow their careers.

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