Psychographic Segmentation in a Unique Service Industry: A Typology Based on Consumers’ Levels of Consumption of Live and Media-Based Spectator Sports

A traditional mail survey sent to 1,000 U.S. heads-of-households provided information on the 227 respondents’ level of consumption of spectator sports as part of both the live audience and the media-based audience. The four segments were given names based upon the individuals’ concurrent levels of consumption as members of both the live and media-based audiences. Specifically, the resulting segments comprised the sports-immersed fans, venue-based enthusiasts, media-based fans, and sports contrarians. A set of 34 psychographic statements allowed for lifestyle-based profiles to be developed for each of the four designated segments. Based on the reported measures, meaningful differences across the four segments were identified. These differences have implications for both the marketers who are interested in customer retention and those who need to focus on customer acquisition.