Boomer’s Healthy Lifestyle Demographic
Endurance events ranging from the traditional, like marathons and 5k’s, to the trending, like Crossfit, attract a particularly coveted demographic: Baby Boomers focused on a healthy lifestyle. This pairing of people and events combines for a prime opportunity for brands to engender loyal customers. First, these consumers are financially comfortable, educated, and supportive of everything affiliated with these endurance events. And second, they’re attracted to these events because the environment is energizing, positive, and engaging, making branding opportunities especially effective. The most exciting part is that the healthy lifestyle demographic is growing – and rapidly.
growth and disposable income
Since 2000, traditional events like marathons and 5k’s have grown an impressive 80%. And it’s no secret that these endurance participants have disposable income. Running USA reported participants in these events have an average age of 50, with 75% of participants college educated and earning $175,000 or more per year. On average, they compete in 7.5 events per year, laying the foundation for frequent and loyal interactions with brand sponsors. Endurance event participants understand the value and difficulty of the event, and will not hesitate to purchase the proper equipment. 72% of participants spend $1,100 or more on running apparel per year, making loyalty paramount.
Crossfit is on an upward trajectory as well and quickly becoming a facet of those with a healthy lifestyle. This sport has experienced staggering growth, boasting a 406% growth in the number of gyms—”boxes” as they are called— over an eight-year period. Moreover, the amount of people registering to compete in the games, or championship, has skyrocketed from 70 people in 2007 to almost 70,000 in 2013. It’s evident that the healthy lifestyle has taken a hold of our culture.
authentic events drive eager participation
With growth in mind, brands should be looking to sponsor endurance events ranging from the traditional to the trending and everything in between. And while it’s reason enough to market toward this healthy lifestyle demographic because of their disposable income, there are other compelling themes that make focusing on this demographic worthwhile. This should excite marketers because these themes are directly in line with authenticity, which is a major focus of marketing today. Brands need to pick up on the following three themes to be effective in this endurance event space: generosity, tradition, and the feeling of accomplishment.
The first theme, generosity, is intertwined with endurance events because the majority of events support charities. Participants elect to run for charities of their choosing and raise money on their behalf. Event directors also select official charities to support, giving the atmosphere a sense of greater purpose.
Next, endurance events’ elements of tradition reside within families and amongst friends. Year after year group shots of endurance events find their way onto refrigerators, desks, and the Internet. It is in these places that the shots can serve as a common thread within relationship fabrics. Understanding this idea is the difference maker between a stodgy marketing effort and an authentic effort because it provides a reference point for what generates engagement for participants.
And the feeling of accomplishment should be obvious. Endurance events are aptly named because conquering, competing, and participating is inextricably linked to a sense of pride for each individual. This means the sponsorship effort should hinge on perpetuating the feelings of generosity, tradition, and accomplishment. If they do not, the effort is decidedly breaking rapport rather than building it.
Accordingly, brands can ingratiate themselves into this space by sponsoring endurance events in a specific way. A free photo experience would be one such way to perpetuate these core themes as well as engender loyalty. Participants are currently expected to pay for professional photos provided by the race directors. Offering endurance event photos for free courtesy of your brand would be an easy way to build a rapport with these participants. Doing so would extend the feeling of generosity far past the race date, serving as a constant reminder of a good deed. Moreover, in providing free photos to endurance event participants, brands can begin to weave themselves into the lives of this growing constituent of people focus on healthy living.