[Content Commerce] Exercise = Protein? ... 'Tarag' Health YouTuber Pitbully's Sports Nutrition

1.4 Million YouTuber Pitbulli Launches Pitbulli Market
Develops Health Functional Shakes Leveraging Expertise
Links YouTube Channel and Shopping Mall... Integrates Content and Products

Editor's NoteContent commerce is emerging as a major trend in the distribution industry. Sellers are moving beyond simply providing product information to engaging with consumers through entertaining and informative content, leading to natural purchases. Through the case of creators who have met commerce, we explore successful strategies in the era of content commerce.

"Although health and fitness have recently gained popularity, efforts to provide accurate nutritional knowledge are still lacking. There is a fixed notion that 'exercise = protein,' but in reality, fats act as precursors to steroids that build muscles, so consuming a balanced combination of nutrients is more effective."

Health creator 'Fitbly' (real name Moon Seok-gi) recently launched the functional food brand 'Fitbly Market' and took the helm as CEO. He is an expert in exercise with multiple certifications in exercise and sports nutrition, primarily producing content on exercise methods and sports nutrition coaching on YouTube.

Showing the sale of shake products during a live streaming content on the 'Fitbly' channel.
[Photo by Fitbly YouTube capture]

His health information YouTube channel 'Fitbly' has gained popularity with 1.4 million subscribers. In the early days of the channel, he focused on 'women's exercise' content and gathered over 200,000 subscribers within a year. As the business grew, he opened a gym, but then the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. At that time, quarantine authorities imposed gathering bans on multi-use facilities, putting the gym in a 'temporary closure' state. During this period, a so-called 'corruption' live broadcast, where he ate cheese balls and chicken nuggets in an empty gym, went viral and quickly pushed his subscriber count past 1 million.

Moon did not start out as a health YouTuber. In the early stages of his business, he planned an online exercise coaching service. Later, he worked as a trainer in over 40 countries including Canada and New Zealand to validate the business potential. During this process, he obtained numerous international certifications and accumulated over 10 years of total trainer experience. He said, "While abroad, I tested online exercise coaching as a beta service, and the response was so positive that I confirmed its business viability and returned to Korea. At that time, Korea's economic level was rapidly developing, and public awareness of exercise and health was growing quickly, which allowed for rapid growth."

Moon focuses on 'sports nutrition' content as much as on exercise methods. While the so-called 'PT boom' has increased demand for learning proper exercise techniques, interest in exercise theory and nutrition remains relatively low. Moon analyzes nutritional components in detail and explains them to subscribers with scientific evidence in his sports nutrition content.

Moon emphasized, "Since absorption rates and required nutrients vary from person to person, deciding what and how much to eat for effective exercise and healthy living is very important. I have produced many related contents to help people understand the importance of selecting the right nutrients for themselves."

His newly launched 'Fitbly Market' is a brand offering functional foods based on nutritional knowledge. Leveraging his expertise, Moon directly develops products together with affiliated nutritionists and sports nutrition coaches.

The first supplement product introduced by Fitbly Market is the 'Golden Timing Shake Set.' This product consists of three shakes with different flavors and nutritional profiles, designed to be consumed three times a day. Specifically, the set includes ▲'Fasting Timing' (matcha flavor, dietary fiber) suitable for consumption between 6-9 AM ▲'Snack Timing' (grain flavor + protein ball, carbohydrates) for 3-5 PM ▲'Exercise Timing' (chocolate flavor, protein) for 7-10 PM.

Moon explained, "Consuming dietary fiber in the morning helps create a feeling of fullness, aiding in dieting. For office workers who usually eat around noon, blood sugar tends to drop between 3-5 PM, so consuming carbohydrates at this time helps stabilize blood sugar and prevent overeating. Then, consuming protein on an empty stomach before exercising enhances effectiveness."

Fitbly Market’s products are showcased in the 'Store' tab on the Fitbly YouTube channel, as well as through live streaming and video content banners. These banners display product names, photos, prices, and other information. Interested viewers can click the banners to be directed to the product purchase page. Moon said, "Using YouTube’s shopping integration features allows for a seamless product purchase process through simple clicks within various content, which is expected to improve conversion rates. Also, using the Cafe24 platform makes it easy to build and operate an online business without needing professional developers or designers."

Fitbly Market plans to continue introducing various products centered on a Direct to Consumer (D2C) shopping mall and the YouTube channel. Moon stated, "The commerce business is conducted with the intention of providing good products to subscribers, so we will continue to focus on operating the D2C shopping mall. Our goal is to secure more than 10 products by reinvesting profits from Fitbly Market into developing quality products."