Scheduled for Research Consortium Poster Session: Thematic Sport Posters, Thursday, March 15, 2007, 12:45 PM - 2:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Sport and Exercise Product Design for Working Mothers: Insights From the Target Market

Marlene A. Dixon, B. Christine Green and Michelle Babin, University of Texas, Austin, TX

One of the key tenets of a marketing mindset in sport and exercise is a focus on customers. Mindful of this, sport marketers develop their products and services to better meet the needs of their chosen target market. Academic and popular literature suggests a growing situation in America's workforce where individuals experience increasing stress and strain that leads to poor health, yet they have little available time to participate in sport and exercise that may actually help alleviate some of the stress and the deleterious health effects (Hall, 1999; Jaffee et al., 1999; Vinokur, Pierce, & Buck, 1999). While this trend affects both men and women, it is especially pertinent to working mothers as they are often subject to heightened demands of child and homecare (Netemeyer, Maxham, & Pulig, 2005; Vinokur et al., 1999). From a social marketing perspective, working mothers are an important target market. The demands placed on these women at work and home suggest a real need for programs designed to reduce stress and increase health through physical activity. The purpose of this inquiry was to identify the unique needs of the working mother market, and to examine product/program attributes that could be redesigned to better meet their needs. Participants were full-time faculty and staff from a major research university in the Southwest. Forty-four working mothers participated in one of eight focus groups. Participant ages ranged from 25 to 55; their children's ages ranged from 6 months to 25 years old; most participants reported having 2 children at home (range= 1-4). Results indicated that working mothers perceived three main benefits to exercise and physical activity: general health enhancement, stress reduction/release, and benefits for their children. Although all benefits were valued by working mothers, the promise of these benefits rarely resulted in them becoming more physically active. Thus, the presence of a beneficial sport or fitness program was insufficient to motivate participation. Four main barriers to being physically active were reported: lack of time flexibility, guilt over time not spent with children, facility factors, and lack of spouse/partner support. Their recommendations for product attributes were categorized into three main themes: flexibility, convenience, and programming. For working mothers, convenience means convenient/flexible times and offerings, the presence of child-care (or better yet, children's programming), and flexible pricing. Recommended program elements varied in terms of the activities desired, but there was agreement that activities should be made enjoyable, social, and family-oriented.
Keyword(s): exercise/fitness/physical activity, sport management, worksite

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