Download - Consumer Behavior Project
TEAM BLUEHYESIL CHO, ELYSE CHU, MARISSA
MCNALLY, LAURA RIKER, ALEX ROBERTSON, MELISSA SANDERS
What’s Your Fitness Personality?
AGENDAFitness TodayProblem/ImportanceGapFitness Personalities/ LifestylesHypothesisMethodologyAnalysisHypothesis Supported/Not SupportedContributionsLimitationsFuture Research DirectionsQuestions
FITNESS TODAY
Total gym membership as of January 2009 was $45.5 million
The fitness market is constantly changing with new trends
Why research fitness? Current hot topic!
PROBLEM: Marketers only target one fitness lifestyle. Is this the most effective way for gyms and fitness brands to be marketing their goods and services?
IMPORTANCE: Marketers must be aware of how to appeal to the greatest number/widest variety of consumers who are interested in a healthy lifestyle
PROBLEM AND IMPORTANCE
GAP
We know that people who engage in physical fitness have different lifestyles and different motivations for exercise
We know that marketers advertise gyms as tailoring to only one type of consumer
GAP
Should gyms be less
specialized in their
services in order to attract a
wider consumer
base?
FITNESS PERSONALITIES
We came up with different fitness personalities that define a person’s outlook on…
Health
Fitness
Gyms
LIFESTYLE TRENDS
Wedding
Self-improvement
Social supportDrive for muscularity
Self-esteem
Lifestyle Change
Yoga
Cardio
Group classes
PowerMasculinity
Mental Health
Weight loss for event
Friends
Physical well-being
Spirituality
Energy
Relationships
Spring break
Marathons
Challenging oneself
LIFESTYLES
1. Short-term Weight Loss
2. Mind and Body Health-Conscious
3. Drive for Muscularity
4. Physical Well-Being
5. Social Connectedness
6. Personal Competitor
SHORT- TERM WEIGHT LOSS
Motivated by an upcoming event such as a wedding, Spring Break, prom, etc. 39% of men (Klos and Sobal, 2013)
50% of women (Pritchard and Tiggemann, 2008)
After desired look is achieved and event is over, they do not continue to use the gym until another event comes up (University of Chicago Medicine)
“WEIGHT CYCLING WHITNEY”
30 years old
Decides to lose weight when a high school friend is getting married - wants to impress her old friends whom she has not seen in years
“Yo-yo” diet behavior: goes through cycles of intense exercise and dieting before big events
MIND AND BODY HEALTH CONSCIOUS
Scientifically proven that yoga “improves physical and psychological conditions,” including lower back pain, cardiovascular disease, stress, and anxiety (Atkinson and Permuth-Levine, 2009)
Encourages relaxation, spirituality, and flexibility
More stress-free participant
MIND AND BODY HEALTH CONSCIOUS
Yoga needs to be seen as more accessible to different types of people (Atkinson and Permuth-Levine, 2009)
All-male classes, price reductions
Vegetarianism - naturally consume more vegetables, fruits, and nuts Tend to be thinner and drink and smoke less
than a non-vegetarian (Thorogood, 1995)
“YOGA JEN”28 years old
Vegetarian who only drinks water, tea, and wheatgrass shakes
Does yoga every day for spiritual and physical benefits
Yoga teacher
Wears comfortable/exercise clothing
DRIVE FOR MUSCULARITY
A reflection of culturally explicit, gender-specific, body shape ideals (Davis, Karvinen, McCreary, 2005)
A conflict between personal & societal ideals of success and power (McCreary, Saucier, Courtenay, 2005)
This low self-esteem plagues young boys and forces them to strive for the “muscular” ideal society stresses for men (McCreary, Saucier, Courtenay, 2005)
DRIVE FOR MUSCULARITY
Which aspects of individual personality account for the variance in drive for muscularity?
Findings:
high neuroticism perfectionism
appearance orientation
(Davis, Karvinen, McCreary, 2005)
“MACHO MIKE”20 year old college student
Goes to gym 2 times a day
Attracted to gyms that have different weight machines and that encourage intense fitness
Enjoys other aspects of fitness, including muscle shakes and protein bars
Likes to share his body transformation on social media and get feedback from others
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
Self-esteem and energy levels decline with age
Physical activity leads to better quality of life and self-esteem in adults (Gothe and Mullen, 2011)
Interested in stable, long-term exercise routines, rather than exercise fads (e.g. spinning) (Chung, 2012)
Stressful lifestyles often lead to obesity (Kyung, 2009)
50 years old
Parent of two children
Exercises to stay fit (avoid heart problems, keep a healthy weight)
Exercises to help cope with stress from work
Keeps a steady workout program with a cardio/light weight-lifting mix
“MIDDLE-AGED FRED”
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
Group exercise classes allow people to engage in physical activity in a formal and structured group setting
Social support “can increase time spent engaging in physical activity and frequency of exercise” (McNeill, 2006)
Increases sociability; can be a shared topic of conversation
Instructors help foster a sense of camaraderie and connectedness among participants through working towards a common goal
More popular among females
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
“SOCIAL SALLY”22 years old
College student
Attracted to gyms offering a wider variety of group classes (i.e. Spinning, Dance, Yoga, Aerobics, etc.)
Goes to Zumba with her girlfriends after class
Goes to the gym 3 times a week only if her friends go with her
PERSONAL COMPETITOR
Exercises for their own self satisfaction/well-being
Tend to run on a regular basis for reasons such as self-improvement and challenging oneself (Summers, Sargent, Levey, & Murray, 1982)
“Positive addiction” to self-satisfaction after achieving goals (Summers, Sargent, Levey & Murray, 1982)
“CARDIO TED”30 years old
Works a 9-5 job in the city
Runs twice a day
Participates in marathons as often as possible
Has a journal filled with personal accomplishments and goals for past and future marathons
HYPOTHESIS
Since there are different fitness personalities, specific gyms should offer services that
appeal to multiple personalities in order to gain more
customers
METHODOLOGY
1) Survey. Screen for potential candidates for focus groups Divide respondents into homogenous groups
based on personality and lifestyle traits
2) Focus groups. Probe with questions about how to improve their gym experience and what would make them more likely to join a gym
ANALYSISFind trends in the answers of respondents
during the focus group sessions
The focus groups will give us qualitative information, so we will not run statistical regression or numerical analysis
If we discover deviations from the patterns, we will conduct further research in the form of a survey and run a regression to see if the deviation is statistically relevant
IF OUR HYPOTHESIS IS SUPPORTED…
Gyms should not exclude people in their ads, but rather introduce different programs catering to a variety of personalities. This will allow them to maximize sales.
Goal: A gym could create an ad motivating both the husband and wife to use its facilities
IF OUR HYPOTHESIS IS NOT SUPPORTED…
Gyms should not change the way they currently advertise. Specialized gyms advertising to one or two fitness personalities will be more successful (increase sales)
Goal: Advertisements focusing on a specific personality (e.g. Planet Fitness’ appeal to “The Average Joe”)
IF SUPPORTED…IF NOT SUPPORTED…
More revenue for gyms
More diverse customer base
Higher customer satisfaction
Will be marketing using psychographics
Cognitive Consistency
Confirms that gyms and marketers are already successfully targeting customers
Self-Perception Theory (“I go here” = “I must like it here”)
Current Brand Personalities will remain in tact
CONTRIBUTIONS
LIMITATIONS
It may be hard for people to be truthful about their fitness/lifestyle practices (may answer in a way that they perceive as being socially desirable)
People may not want to fill out the survey because it is not anonymous, even though it is confidential
Focus group data was not quantifiable
Potential decline in competition amongst gyms
IF SUPPORTED…IF NOT SUPPORTED…
Did it help or hurt sales membership?
Research ways to stay competitive
Look for other ways to increase gym membership
Look for solutions to existing members’ complaints
FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTION
QUESTIONS?
Thank you for your time!