Years after Tommy Tutone’s 1982 hit song “867-5309/Jenny” was at the top of the charts, the song has inspired fans to dial the memorable sequence and ask random U.S. residents assigned the 867-5309 phone number if Jenny was available. Now Retrofitness is using the famous phone number to expand its fitness club franchises.
The phone number is the perfect fit for the 1980s-themed fitness centers, which features bright red and yellow décor and black and white checkered floors. There’s even a Retro Movie Theatre playing classic ’80s flicks, in addition to cardio equipment, free weights, tanning and a Retro Blends Juice bar.
“The number goes to our franchising office,” Retrofitness Chief Executive Eric Casaburi told njbiz.com. “It’s the sales line for new franchise candidates.”
Last month Retrofitness acquired the telephone number (201) 867-5309 through a winning undisclosed bid on eBay. (201is an area code for much of the state of New Jersey.) A DJ company called A Blast Entertainment most recently owned the 201 version of the phone number.
Casaburi said he’s looking into possibly using the song in Retrofiness’ marketing.
“We haven’t negotiated with anyone yet on that front,” he told njbiz.com. “But it’s on the horizon for us.”
The fitness chain is also teaming up with original MTV veejay Martha Quinn for a number of radio spots. The ads are scheduled to air in September.
Retrofitness has more than 45 locations in Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, with 110 in development.
And if you ever wondered what happened to Tommy Tutone, you can check out sonwriter Alex Call’s upcoming memoir, For A Good Time Call: 867-5309: I Wrote The Song That Saved My Ass.
Call recently told a Tampa, Fla., columnist that the girl named Jenny who wrote her phone number on a bathroom wall never existed.
"There was no Jenny," Call said, according to the Examiner. "The number? It came to me out of the ether."
Click here for Retrofitness’ Web site.
Click here for the New Jersey Business News article.
Click here for the Examiner article.