The Sustainability of Extreme Sports as Businesses in Todays Society - Research Paper Example

The Sustainability of Extreme Sports as Businesses in Today’s Society Introduction: Extreme sports are referred to the sports where the risk to the participants is significantly high. The participants of such sports need to possess particular sets of skills. However, if proper instructors are available then beginners or learners can also take part in these sports. Although there are no sports in particular that may be regarded as extreme sports, yet the major sports that are included in this segment include bungee jumping, paragliding, kite boarding, land yachting, hang-gliding, caving, white-water rafting and coasteering. For the extreme sports, there are no specific market boundaries and hence the market segment for these sports cannot be measured. It has been assumed that the market segment for extreme sports holds approximately 5 percent of the market of adventure trips (“Extreme Sports” 34). In the present times, extreme sports have a significant role to play in business and the sportspersons are being utilized for the purpose of marketing of different products. Extreme sports in marketing are more common among the youth. Considering the leisure market in the United States and other countries across the world, the use of extreme sports in businesses has been found to be increasing particularly targeting the youth who are the usual viewers of sports and sports related programs on television. However although there are regular viewers of the extreme sports and hence products can be well marketed with the use of such sports, yet the sustainability of the extreme sports in businesses cannot be realized. It has been observed that the viewers of such extreme sports are in most cases fickle minded that make them suspect the conventional methods of marketing and they are also more concerned about their status. All these factors make it difficult for the marketers creating challenges for their successful marketing approaches (Summers, Morgan and Summers 30). Aim and Objectives of the Research: Aim: The aim of the research is to focus on the use of extreme sports in businesses trying to determine the sustainability of the extreme sports in business in the near future. Objectives: Considering the above aim of the study, the following objectives have been decided: To understand the use of extreme sports for the purpose of businesses. To learn about the implications of the use of extreme sports in marketing on the prospective or targeted consumers. To determine the sustainability of the use of extreme sports in businesses in the near future. Literature Review: The concept of extreme sports has become highly significant and popular in the recent times with more and more individuals trying to take part in sports that are highly risky. These include the risky activities undertaken by the body in order to perform sports (Estivalet and Brisson 552). As Heggie and Caine (2) mentioned in their studies, the extreme sports have become a very important part of the lives of the Americans in particular who consider these sports as an option for recreation and athletics. Different sports that are included in the definition of extreme sports are motorcycle racing, rock climbing, and base jumping (Heggie and Caine 2). The popularity of extreme sports has increased in the recent times with new clubs and associations being developed. Television programs, magazines and pages on the web are also been developed considering the growing attractiveness of extreme sports (Estivalet and Brisson 552). One of the most important reasons owing to which people are more attracted towards extreme sports is that the participants do not have to follow the strict rules and regulations that are otherwise associated with other sports in general. However, in the present times commercialization and standardization of extreme sports have also been considered proving it to be inopportune for such participants (Madigan and Delaney 47). As Sayre and King (504) mentioned in their studies, for the youth in particular, the extreme sports represent the current trend in sports. For the participants, the extreme sports are very interesting activities that make them daring to take part in the sports. Although the extreme sports are in the trend for almost a decade ago, yet in the present times, the sports are becoming more and more risky and more dangerous with increasing population trying to take part in these sports (Sayre and King 504). In the present times, the extreme sports are being participated by both the professional athletes as well as for the purpose of recreations. The appeal of the audience to these extreme sports has also increased with the increasing interest of the mass media, the changing lifestyles of individuals and particularly the culture that the youth in the present times is following (Mei-Dan and Carmount xi). The most important reason that is allowing the participants of the extreme sports to be motivated is the fact that these sports give them the experience of joy that was not available in the earlier times. The sports are challenging and expose the capabilities of the individuals taking part in these sports. However there are risks of injuries and even deaths as associated with these sports (Hetland and Vitterso 7-8). Considering the field of sports, the extreme sports have captured a greater part of the limelight particularly with respect to television programs and sports commercials (McNamee 152). This brings into focus the involvement of extreme sports in the world of business as well. In many cases the extreme sports is considered to be the sports that is represented by the conventional media and sports channels like ESPN rather than the participants themselves. Considering the emerging new sports and activities, continuous researches are being conducted for understanding the concepts and terms of extreme and alternative sports. These are different from the traditional sport activities differing mainly from the lifestyles of the sports as well as the sportspersons. The evolution of these daring and challenging sports have been reflected to the change in the generations and the lifestyles of the youth in particular that has been supported by the developments in technology and use of the extreme sports as well (Nimmo et al 2-7). Extreme Sports and the World of Business: Extreme sports have become significantly considerable position in the business of sports marketing. The extreme sports represent a completely different segment of the market that is capable of targeting the youth of the present times (Summers, Morgan and Summers 98). Businesses have greater dependencies on the use of extreme sports since extreme sports have significant influences on individuals. Researchers have obtained a significant relationship between the natural world and the extreme sports. The opinion of such researchers is that participants who love to be involved in extreme sports actually enjoy the challenges of overcoming the natural world and the fears associated with the natural world (Brymer, Downey and Gray 195). Thus the youth of the present times are mostly influenced by these sports and the sportspersons who portray such sports through the television programs or commercials. This is where the marketers make use of extreme sports for the purpose of business. It is essential for marketers to determine innovative measures in order to attract and sustain their customers. Sports markets which are new have been obtained to “offer new opportunities for endorsements and marketing” (Kaser and Oelkers 13). Studies reveal that customers are largely attracted to the extreme sports (Kaser and Oelkers 13). The market of the extreme sports in businesses cannot be precisely explained (Papathanassis 80). The marketers that make use of the extreme sports for their businesses mostly target those people who are daring, love challenges, risks and uncertainties. These are mostly consumers who enjoy something different than their normal lives and hence something extreme that attracts those individuals (Papathanassis 80). The extreme sportspersons are used as commodities for the purpose of marketing as have been observed by studies. However, while marketing products, it is essential for the marketers to understand the buying behavior of the customers in order to make use of the extreme sports effectively. Individuals who would be attracted through the commercials or influences of the extreme sports can be assumed to have a different mentality than the others who may not even like extreme sports. Hence market research forms an essential part of the business before targeting consumers with use of extreme sports (Summers, Morgan and Summers 30). Considering the increasing use of the extreme sports as marketing tools for businesses the sustainability of this strategy needs to be understood. Studies reveal that with the use of extreme sports, the marketing of a certain product gradually reflects increase in its sales up to a certain point after which the sales lower down again. It has been observed that there are several extreme sports that are highly popular in the present times particularly among the youth. However, the popularity of all the kinds of extreme sports cannot be guaranteed for a longer period of time. The audience gets attracted to the particular sports for their uniqueness and innovativeness. Traditional styles and forms of sports are no more attractive for the consumers that need to be targeted (Summers, Morgan and Summers 158). Research Methodology: Considering the aim and objectives of the research, the research philosophy of positivism has been considered for the research. In accordance with this theory, all evident essentials are necessary to be understood making of a systematic technique and aims to generate a supposed impartial learning of the observations and collection of information by developing the hypotheses and theories appropriate with the subject of study. This philosophy does not rely on objective supports for standards; to a certain extent it recognizes the actuality that values can be acceptable only on individual, realistic or practical views (Collins). This philosophy has thus been considered as it helped the study to focus on the methods that have been used in understanding the present status of the use of extreme sports in businesses and its sustainability in the near future. The research approach and technique that has been considered for the study involved the qualitative research methods. As it is known the qualitative methods entails the research study to explain the forms and behaviors of public or actions without articulating them in the form of numbers or figures. In contrast to the qualitative method, quantitative methods involve communicating the collected facts and information in the form of numbers or quantities (Thomas). Quantitative measures have not been involved in this particular study. Instead, the study has been based on qualitative research enabling an ordinary approach to the matter of study and hence focused to bring outcomes that were resultant from the facts and figures gathered from the studies. This approach involves making use of case studies, individual experiences and related processes that give details about the problems and understanding of naturally occurring activities (Thomas). In the present research study the choice of qualitative research method helped the study to get a clear picture of the underlying facts related to the study in a descriptive form of understanding. The collection of the needed data has been reliant on secondary sources thus making it a secondary research study. Information and data that are not new but have already been obtained by some other researchers at some point of time are referred to as the secondary data. These sources can be used to consider a particular study in the present times as well as for the future. The selection of secondary sources has been done since these data can be acquired with simplicity and are less costly than the primary data (Malhotra). Also primary data, which requires working and gathering data on hand, requires more time for the data collection and analysis process in comparison to secondary data. Secondary data helps in recognition of the difficulty, and thus defines the problem in a clear way, determines an approach for working out the problem, creates an appropriate research design, respond to the questions related to the accomplishment of research objectives and interprets data with more insights into it. Thus use of secondary data provides with some great advantages and has been considered effective for the current study (Malhotra). Certain limitations might have been observed in using secondary data mostly because these data reflect studies that have already been conducted previously and hence had the possibility of not being precise in responding to the essential objective questions; nonetheless the secondary method has been found to be capable of providing near to accurate results if appropriate study and analysis can be done (Malhotra 2008). The secondary sources that have been included in this study largely include materials obtained from the internet websites, books that have information on the use, advantages and challenges of extreme sports in businesses, internet articles and journals involving data on extreme sports in businesses, mainly focused on the previous studies conducted on the current topic. Also, considering the use of extreme sports in businesses, few brands that make use of extreme sports like Red Bull have also been included for study for an understanding of the use and dependencies of the company on extreme sports for marketing of its products. Ethical factors have also been kept in focus the research work was being conducted. The collection and analysis of data have been done with utmost care to make certain that professional ethics is not affected by any illegal behaviors. While dealing with the analysis of the use of extreme sports, and the information related to companies, care has been considered in regard to the limitations of revealing facts related to the companies. Also, every step that has been involved in the research has been provided in the dissertation. Lucidity in the study has been maintained and sources of all data that have been used for the study have been listed in references or bibliography. All the information has been handled with extreme care and examined with detailed processes consuming sufficient time to make sure that professional ethics be maintained to the greatest level. Maintaining ethical standards is crucial as professionalism and avoidance of wrong measures is expected and demanded of every research work (Orb, Eisenhauer & Wynaden). The different codes of ethics that have been followed include integrity, objectivity, and professional competence and due care, confidentiality and professional behavior (Ethical Dilemmas: What would you do?). The verification of qualitative or quantitative data has also been considered in the research significantly. Hence the research has based its conclusion on the accuracy, reliability, and precision of the data collected. Credibility and verification of data were required to be taken extreme care of, so that there would not arise any grounds of suspicion or doubt on the research (Denscombe). Utmost care has been taken to ensure that the websites used from the internet are authentic and they contain proper articles and information provided by different theorists or authors. Books and journals that have been included have been mostly considered as they are peer-reviewed and authentic in nature providing useful information on the concerned topic. Thus credibility and verification would be maintained in the study with the use of appropriate authentic information available through the secondary sources. Findings: It has been studied in the recent times that the commercial influence of extreme sports has significant value among the consumers of different products. Marketers are more and more making use of the extreme sports for advertising of their products trying to attract greater number of customers. For example, the brand Nike has been known mostly for its sneakers. However, the company’s recent campaign of ‘Just Do It’ reflects its dependence on the use of extreme sports. Extreme sportspersons like Paul Rodriguez and Danny Kass have been found to advertise for the brand. The North Face brand has also revealed the dependence on extreme sportspersons for their marketing of products (Smith). There are several examples of companies that are in the present times known to use extreme sports with intentions to attract their customers. Degree Men is a deodorant offered by Unilever that in the recent times has been obtained to focus on a video marketing for the product. The video series that have been involved for this purpose include the figures from extreme sports. This reflects on the fact that most of the viewers of this video marketing would be inclined towards performing these sports by themselves and get attracted to the product as well (Olson). The use of extreme sports reflects the trends in the present times particularly the youth (“Extreme Sports” 34). The sustainability of these sports into business however cannot be guaranteed. This is because in most cases, the trend is to follow what is fashionable for the customers. Thus the business of extreme sports is volatile in nature, with tendencies of the consumers to change their minds with changing fashions. Thus while marketing of a product can become highly successful with the use of extreme sports within a short period of time, it can also be out of the market in a shorter period of time. Although the sustainability of the business of extreme sports cannot really be guaranteed, yet the marketers are targeting the public of different age groups. The major sources of extreme sports markets include United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The emerging markets include Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (“Extreme Sports” 34-35). With the need to understand the importance of sports among the customers, the following chart gives a list of the sports that are most popular among the adult individuals in America. It can be reflected from this chart that extreme sports represent around 19 percent of the interests of the individuals (“Sports Marketing”). Figure 1: The Popular Sports With American Adults (“Sports Marketing”). The use of sports for the marketing of products has both benefits and risks for the marketers. If the use of extreme sports can be successfully done by a company, the influence and effect of the marketing lasts for a significantly long period of time on the audience. However there are challenges as well. Since customers are spread across different demographics, thus the marketing campaigns and the advertisements planning need to be done accordingly trying to reach out to the large mass of customers. Since different companies make use of these sports, thus the business reflects significant competition in the market as well (“Sports Marketing”). Considering the participation of individuals in extreme sports, studies reveal that even women are taking part in these sports. This can be presented by the following figure. Figure 2: Participation of Women in Extreme Sports (Clemmitt). Thus it can be realized that even female consumers can be targeted making use of female sportspersons who participate in extreme sports, for the purpose of marketing of different products. However the sustainability of the extreme sports is not yet understood or guaranteed. Over the recent years, the extreme sports have been found to become highly attractive for both the participants and their audiences. However, with increasing intensities of these sports and the rising challenges, it is not clearly known whether the participants would feel the same attraction in the near future for participating in the extreme sports. Particularly, women to take part in extreme sports in greater numbers are considerably doubted (Clemmitt). Some of the information that could be gathered in relation to the participation of sportspersons in the extreme sports and hence the sustainability of these sports can be pointed out as follows (Clemmitt): Three sports that has risen significantly fast for the women include snowboarding, kayaking and paintball considering the recent years, with the sixth one being the skateboarding, however, the number of women who took part in surfing daily increased by 280 percent between 1999 and 2003. The barriers for the women to take part in extreme sports have been gradually found to be diminishing. It is predicted by analysts that the participation in the extreme sports would fall in the near future. Drop in participation in outdoor extreme sports in America has been recorded to be around 11.6 percent in a year that is a significant signal reflecting that the extreme sports may not be sustainable. It can thus be said that if in the near future the enthusiasm and interests among the participants for the extreme sports fall down, then the businesses that are making use of the extreme sports for their marketing purposes would also be affected. This can reflect on the fact that extreme sports may not be considered to be sustainable for businesses. In this regard a particular study could be conducted considering the example of the Red Bull company that has been found to be highly dependent on the use of extreme sports for its business. Red Bull Company and the Use of Extreme Sports: Red Bull is a publishing company that also offers a beverage product for its consumers. The company has been well known for its dependence on extreme sports and stunts. The company focuses on content marketing and thus different programs are featured instead of just commercials involving the extreme sports and trying to attract the customers. All across the media, Red Bull Content Pool is visible that publishes images and videos of the wingsuit, skateboarder and many other extreme sports (O’Brien). Advertising campaigns are not the targets of the Red Bull Company. Rather it presents to its customers highly risk taking sportspersons and the extreme sports in order to market its products. One of the recent measures that the company had undertaken involves “skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s quest” that was focused on breaking the “world record for the highest altitude jump” (Fenzi and Joyner). Different extreme sports including B.A.S.E. jumping to mountain biking are being used by the company with the participation of around 500 extreme sports athletes (Fenzi and Joyner). However the company has had to encounter significant criticisms with respect to its use and high dependence on extreme sports. This is primarily because several deaths have been reported for individuals who tried to carry out the stunts being shown in the images and videos that the company campaigned. This has been considered as the negative side of the company that has led to the deaths of several individuals including sportsmen (Hoppner). Sustainability of Extreme Sports in Business: From the above findings, the sustainability of the extreme sports in business can be doubted clearly. Although there are many researchers according to which extreme sports have a significant place to stay in the future, yet several other studies and impacts of the use of extreme sports in business reflect some other repercussions or understanding of the business of extreme sports. Researchers believe that with the changing lifestyles and mentalities of individuals, particularly the youth, the dependence on extreme sports tends to increase. It can also be expected that the number of participants in extreme sports would increase (Martin and Wagstaff 172). While on one hand, the increasing challenges and participants are true facts associated with extreme sports and hence its use in the business, on the other hand, the climatic conditions and the risks associated with the sports question the use of such sports in businesses (Martin and Wagstaff 172). This is primarily of more concern since businesses are making use of the extreme sports for the purpose of marketing their products thus trying to influence the minds of the consumers with the use of the extreme sports. As in the case of Red Bull Company it could be observed that the consumers are so influenced by the images and videos campaigned by the company for the marketing of its products, that they are up to carrying out the stunts by themselves leading to several deaths. The sustainability of the use of extreme sports in business would depend on the sustainability of the extreme sports among the individuals. As it has been mentioned before, some of the researchers are apprehensive of the continuing interests of the youth, particularly the females in participating in extreme sports. If the participation interests lower down, the use of extreme sports in business would also not achieve any positive outcomes for the marketing of the products. Businesses try to influence the mentalities of the audience by trying to bring in front of them features of a lifestyle that is different from the lives that they normally live. Since normal human beings tend to feel that they need to push themselves a little more, the businesses take advantage of this aspect of normal human beings and target their consumers with commercials and campaigns based on extreme sports. However to understand the sustainability of the extreme sports in business, the hype surrounding the extreme sports need to be excluded (Appleton). It is necessary to understand clearly that there are significant risks associated with these sports owing to which deaths and injuries may occur. This can eventually lead to lowering down of the interests of the participants, which if happens, would have severe impacts on the businesses as well that are dependent on extreme sports. Moreover it has also been mentioned earlier that the minds of the consumers tend to fickle and hence one particular sport may not grab the attention of the consumers for long. Another significant factor owing to which the sustainability of the extreme sports in businesses may be affected is the rate of injuries as well as deaths that occur from participating in these sports. Figure 3: Safest Activities and the Rates of Injuries Caused to the Participants (Perry). The above figure presents the rates of injuries that are in general caused to the participants of these sports. The difference in the rates of injuries of these above mentioned sports with those of the extreme sports can be realized from the following figure that represents the rates of injuries causes to the participants of the extreme sports. Figure 4: Less Safe Activities and The Rates of Injuries Caused to Participants (Perry). It can thus be observed that the rates of injuries among the participants of extreme sports are higher than the other sports. This could also affect the continuous interest and enthusiasm of the participants leading to negative effects on the businesses as well. Moreover, not all extreme sports are equally enjoyed or taken part by the individuals. Some of the extreme sports are more popular than the other. For example, in the case of United States, it has been observed that surfing is the most popular extreme sport in comparison to other sports like wake boarding, and others. From this it can be said that the sustainability of the extreme sports in businesses might remain with respect to some sports, while for others the interests might be lost in the near future (“News Writings”). This can be represented through the following figure. Figure 5: Extreme Sports Participants in the U.S. (“News Writings”). Conclusion and Recommendations: From the above study and findings, the concept and interest on the extreme sports in the present times could be clearly understood. Particularly with the youth the influence of the extreme sports have been observed to be highly significant leading to businesses being capable of influence their target customers for marketing their products with the use of extreme sports. Several companies are known to be using extreme sports for marketing of their products. Companies like the Red Bull Company are the ones that are completely dependent on extreme sports for their marketing purposes. However, considering the sustainability of the extreme sports in businesses, the study revealed that there are both positives and negatives of using extreme sports in business. While studies are predicting that the participations in extreme sports and hence the influences on the audience would increase in the near future, other studies and evidences clearly reflect that the enthusiasm and interest in the extreme sports might also diminish or lower down in the future. The reasons behind such lowering of interests could be associated with the fickle mindedness of the customers, particularly the youth; the injuries and deaths occurring with the participation in these sports; as well as the changing climatic conditions across the world. Moreover it has been observed that not all the extreme sports are equally liked or taken part by sportspersons or individuals. That also reflects on the fact that even if the use of extreme sports proves to be sustainable in the future, that might require the businesses to choose the suitable sport against others that would be more interesting for the public. Hence it can be concluded from the study that from the present scenario, the sustainability of the extreme sports in businesses cannot really be guaranteed. Rather, there are significant negative aspects that might lead to lesser interests of people in these sports. 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