Sports Consumer Behaviour

Culture

Culture is perhaps the largest of the direct reference groups. Each of us is embedded in a national and ethnic culture. You could think of culture as the personality of society. It colors our values, expectations, attitudes, and opinions. It affects our view of the place of sport in society, the sports that we value, and the products and services that we seek.

Participant Motivation

Green (1996) revealed that more than 100 motives for participating in sport have been identified. Fortunately, the reasons that people give to explain their participation can be grouped into three key motives: (1) achievement motivation, (2) social motivation, and (3) mastery motivation (Smith & Bar-Eli, 2007). To attract participants motivated by achievement goals, sport marketers emphasize the competitive elements of their programs.

Market Segement

In marketing terms, groups that share a number of characteristics are called market segments. Marketers then choose to focus their efforts on one or more of the identified market segments.

Consumer Needs and Motivation

Motives can be thought of as the reasons that people behave the way they do. This driving force exists in response to an unfulfilled need. The key to the success of a sport organization is to identify and satisfy customers' unfulfilled needs better or faster than the competition does. Consequently, successful marketers define their target markets by the needs that they are trying to satisfy.

Reference groups

Reference groups can be either direct or indirect. Direct reference groups require face-to-face interaction. Family and friends serve as reference groups throughout the lifespan.

Motivational reward

Skill development, learning, and personal challenge appeal to mastery-oriented participants. Programs that offer instruction, coaching, or mentoring often appeal to these participants. For people in this category, competition is for intrinsic rewards and is less about winning and more about challenging themselves.

Spectator Motivation Spectators have many motives for watching sport, including escapism, drama, excitement, and diversion.

The motivations that people identify for watching sport are quite different from their motivations for participating in sport. For many, watching sport is a way to escape from everyday life, a diversion from stress or boredom.

Target Market

The selected market segments are referred to as target markets. Products and services are designed to meet the needs of the target market.

Group Influences on the Sport Consumer

The types of sports offered are typically those sports valued by your national culture. Along with national and regional influences, your membership in a group can greatly influence your choice whether or not to play intramural sports.

Membership running clubs

Two elements of club membership are important for socially motivated runners: (1) people can run with a group and thus do not have to run alone, and (2) socializing often continues after the run and thus is not limited to the training session itself.

Extrinsic rewards

athletes might also value extrinsic rewards such as medals, trophies, MVP awards, or competitive all-star events. These types of rewards provide an outward display of recognition for the athlete achievement.