Running head: MARKETING BODYBUILDING TO FEMALES

Marketing Bodybuilding Competition Participation to Females

Kat Ricker

Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT

Sponsors targeting female consumers at bodybuilding competition events should demand that the event marketers are

marketing specifically to attract females to compete, because with the increase in females who compete, there is an increase in

females with similar profiles who attend and are therefore exposed to sponsor marketing.

Little research has been conducted regarding motivating females to compete in sports, and even less (if any) in the sport

of bodybuilding. Special considerations should be taken into account when designing a marketing strategy to recruit females

who have not competed in this sport in the past to compete at least at an amateur level. Marketers should be aware not only of

the established motivators inherent to females considering structured recreational activities, but also of the unique motivators

desired by females who are likely potential recruits, and finally, and perhaps most surprisingly, marketers should be aware that

many traditional tactics and focuses of bodybuilding marketing which they have employed in the past miss the mark for this

audience.

Drawing from surveys, interviews and published research, this article begins to clarify a new perspective for

bodybuilding marketers targeting a female audience, focusing on successful and desired motivators with this pool of potential

candidates. The chief motivators for these females were fun, enhancing their health, and then, in descending importance,

enhancing their appearance, managing their bodyweight, socializing, and skill. This should be revealing to bodybuilding

marketers, who traditionally have not actively addressed the major motivations named in this survey, fun and health

enhancement.

Marketing Bodybuilding Competition Participation to Females

Introduction

Sponsors targeting female consumers at bodybuilding competition events should demand that the event marketers are

marketing specifically to attract females to compete, because with the increase in females who compete, there is an increase in

females with similar profiles who attend and are therefore exposed to sponsor marketing. Marketers should be aware not only

of the established motivators inherent to females considering structured recreational activities, but also of the unique motivators

desired by females who are likely potential recruits, and finally, and perhaps most surprisingly, marketers should be aware that

many traditional tactics and focuses of bodybuilding marketing which they have employed in the past miss the mark for this

audience.

Little research has been conducted regarding motivating females to compete in sports, and even less (if any) in

motivating females to compete in the sport of bodybuilding. Special considerations should be taken into account when

designing a marketing strategy to recruit females who have not competed in this sport in the past to compete at least at an

amateur level.

Drawing from surveys, interviews and published research, this article begins to clarify a new perspective for

bodybuilding marketers targeting a female audience, focusing on successful and desired motivators with this pool of potential

candidates. These findings should be of interest to any potential sponsor and event marketer. Matt Shepley, founder of the

D.C.-based Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders, estimates that for every female competitor, there are five to ten people

who attend the event to provide her support. Since sponsors and vendors of bodybuilding events typically include products and

services which have a substantial female consumer base – fitness-related apparel, tanning products and services, sports

supplements, specialty foods and even jewelry – focusing on increasing the volume of female competitors can be an important

key to increase the volume of their desired niche, target consumer base.

Method

Materials

Surveys were based on primary motives for female sport consumption contributed by T. Taylor and K. Tooney. These

are physical benefits/health, fun, looking fit, weight-related, social aspects, skill development and competition.

Participants

The surveys were distributed via direct contract to 65 females– 45 in their co-ed membership health club (Gold’s Gym,

Greenbelt, Maryland), 10 via telephone and 10 face-to-face in the workplace (Lockheed Martin, Greenbelt, Maryland). While

ages were fairly evenly split, the high majority of the population was black (62%). White population was 9%. The rest were

negligible amounts of Asian, Indian, and a segment who did not identify their race. Fifty-seven percent was single, 28%

married, 5% divorced. None identified themselves as widowed or same-household partners. The income level of the majority

(69%) was $25,000 to $30,000; $50,000 and up, 32%; $30,000 to $50,000, 25%; unemployed 6%; and under $25,000, 3%.

As for education, the majority (58%) completed two- to four-years of college; 15% completed an advanced degree; 11%

completed high school; and 2% completed a technical school education.

The females surveyed were considered likely potential candidates for recruits because they A) were already involved in

physical exercise of some sort, B) engaged in structured recreational activities, and C) belonged to a health club. Furthermore,

nearly half reported enjoying some form of exercise involving weight training.

A majority of the respondents (78%) reported involvement in some type of sport. The single proportionately significant

activity was some type of in-gym exercise involving weight training (45%). The remainder of activities included negligible

amounts in a diverse smattering of activities–basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, football, soccer, squash, tennis, cycling,

inline skating, walking, running, dancing, hiking, rockclimbing, gymnastics, aerobics, water aerobics, ice-skating, and

bodybuilding. The second largest reported recreational activity was cooking (58%).

Results and Discussion

The overwhelming motivation respondents gave (97%) for participating in any recreational activity was that it was fun.

The second leading motivation was health-related (78%). The third was enhancing one's appearance (62%), the fourth

bodyweight-management (52%), fifth socializing (43%), sixth skill mastery (40%). A trailing seventh motivator was

competition/the desire to win (22%).

When asked what they would need in order to consider competing in bodybuilding, the top responses were

striking–"someone to guide me through it" was the number one answer (35%), closely followed by the following equal-

ranking related responses, "education on how to do it and what it's all about" (23%), "a buddy to do it with me" (23%) and

assurance that they would still look feminine (23%). Other responses were negligible. Twenty-eight percent said they did not

know enough about the sport to answer (although most answered anyway), and 31% said they would not compete.

The major aspects of the sport which respondents reported as favorable were dramatic -- 66% reported discipline and

self-control; 55% said seeing women be strong; and 43% said seeing women be healthy. These top three reasons for liking

female bodybuilding sharply dropped in ranking the remaining aspects–25% said seeing women as leaders; 25% said the

beauty of the women, as mentioned already, and then responses showed another drop -- 15% said having a showcase for all

the hard work in the gym, and 14% said social involvement.

What respondents did not like about the sport was the women do not appear feminine (37%); the sport takes too much

work (28%); the women do not look attractive (22%); 11% said "they just don't get it"; and a marginal number named the

solitary nature of the sport (6%), insufficient reward (5%), and that the sport is not healthy (2%).

When asked whether they think of women when they think of bodybuilding, the findings were surprising; it was a

close match, with the affirmative prevailing, 57% to 43%. Of these, 59% said they liked female bodybuilding and 41% said

they disliked it; however, when asked whether they disliked it, only 9% said yes, leaving a wide margin for indifferent

respondents whose opinions could be swayed. Just 5% had in fact competed. Although 81% said they would not be interested

in competing and 19 said they definitely would, another potential margin emerged -- 26% said they might be interested but did

not know enough about bodybuilding.

Another interesting bust to traditional marketing assumptions is that the majority were not discouraged by self-doubt

nor intimidated by the attractiveness of competitors -- 81% said they did not believe that bodybuilders were better-looking than

themselves, and 53% said they did not believe that they were not "good enough" to compete.

So, did the respondents consider female bodybuilders attractive? 25% reported that they enjoyed beauty of the women,

22% reported that the women were not attractive, and 37% reported that the women do not appear feminine. Although most

marketers place great importance on these related issues, these findings were not overwhelming in any direction, and in fact,

37% is relatively low volume of respondents to report the perception of a lack of femininity. However, when asked whether

most female bodybuilders were "more masculine" than the non-competitor respondents, 51% said this was true.

Contrary to popular assumptions among female bodybuilders and marketers, respondents overwhelmingly quashed

prejudicial views of competitors–none reported that bodybuilders are not intelligent, and just one respondent reported that most

are homosexual. The majority (66%) said that most do not use steroids or other drugs, and 84% said that most are not too

obsessed with their appearances. Just ten percent said that most bodybuilders do not have as many responsibilities as

themselves. Finally, a clean majority (92%) said that most are "just regular people". This either means that women are not as

prejudiced against female bodybuilders as is generally assumed, or that the respondents did not answer honestly, even in an

anonymous survey.

In another phase of research, 400 surveys were distributed via e-mail internally to a bodybuilding association based in

Washington D.C. Ten of the respondents were experienced bodybuilding competitors. Remarkable differences in responses

from this albeit small pool lied in what the competitors liked and disliked about female bodybuilding in general. The leading

favorable characteristic remained discipline and self-control (8). The second-highest ranking slot was tied (7) between the

beauty of the women, seeing women be strong, and seeing women healthy. Half ranked having a showcase for all the hard

work in the gym next. The final two choices which were not selected at all in the non-bodybuilder audience were spiritual

aspects - with two responses, and social involvement - with one. On what bodybuilders did not like, only a minority made any

selections, but a significant answer was the toll it takes on my family and friends (3), which hadn't been selected by non-

bodybuilders. Two respondents selected insufficient reward and that the women did not appear feminine. The few competitors

(2) who offered catalysts compelling them to initially compete gave reasons of wishing to act as role models for other women

and their children.

Also of note from this research phase is that there was expression of desire to transition from figure to bodybuilding

competition, but no bodybuilders expressed a desire to cross over to figure. Fitness competitors, nearly without exception,

desired no cross-overs, and those who did looked to figure, not bodybuilding. Therefore, marketers should target their internal

client base of figure competitors to recruit for bodybuilding.

To extrapolate on the research of Henderson, another important area marketers must focus on is the facilities that the

competitors will be situated in. Due to the nature of bodybuilding, marketers/competitive organizations do not generally have

opportunities for control over the facilities of their competitors during training; rather, they rent spaces in which to hold the

competition events. Nevertheless, this is a critical opportunity to satisfy what Henderson identified as a major issue for female

participants in any organized recreational activity–the facilities. Females must have clean and safe facilities that are well-

maintained, especially clean restrooms and locker rooms, which in this case would translate to dressing room areas. Henderson

stresses that females must be made to feel safe, unthreatened and protected, not only in the activities themselves, but in the

organization and the physical facilities and equipment (1995). In selecting facilities, marketers should place a high priority on

spacious, clean, private, convenient, comfortable and safe (i.e. physically secure and visibly supervised) facilities. Restrooms

should be pristine. Ideally, dressing areas should allot personal, consistent space to each individual, with a secure repository for

their belongings.

Not only should marketers supply any supplies which competitors might need (weightlifting equipment, food, water,

first aid materials, fresh towels, mirrors, useful lighting, contact lens solutions, make-up applicators and remover, etc.), but they

will go far in both securing repeat business and generating favorable word-of-mouth advertising by providing extras to create a

flattering atmosphere (water in aesthetically-pleasing pitchers, cut flowers in vases). As Henderson emphasizes that promotion

should be personalized (1995), marketers should capitalize on any opportunity to personalize any such effects to the individual

competitors, such as designating individuals' counter top or tabletop spaces with name cards, posting individual schedule

reminders according to their entered divisions at these spaces, coordinating colors of flowers at the spaces with competitors'

suit colors, and even posting photographs from pre-judging at the individuals' spaces during the competition break for

enjoyment during the evening show. Such ideas are novel to the bodybuilding market, and promising in terms of addressing

specific outlined motivators of potential female participants.

Conclusions

Potential sponsors targeting female consumers can be more selective of the bodybuilding events they choose to sponsor

when armed with this cutting-edge information. Sponsors should make sure that the event marketers are marketing specifically

to attract females to compete well in advance of the event, because with the increase in females who compete, there is a marked

increase in females with similar profiles who attend.

Marketers should be aware that many traditional tactics and focuses of bodybuilding marketing which they have

employed in the past miss the mark for this audience. Typically organizations do not customize campaigns to females at all;

instead, in targeting experienced male bodybuilders only, marketers generate standard images in advertising of winning

competitors on stage during events in standard bodybuilding poses, boasting trophies, medals or swords; and general

marketing focus simply on the two motivators of contest physique and winning. But the novice female audience seeks a

broader experience, personalized education (mentorship), social benefits, the enticement of enhanced health, considerably less

emphasis on winning, and above all, it wants the promise of fun.

The findings suggest that bodybuilding marketers might improve their results by changing the focus of motivation for

potential competitors and spending less energy addressing what they traditionally assume to be the major prejudicial roadblocks

to more females becoming involved in the sport. In order to retain female competitors once they have them, marketers should

make it a top priority to cultivate the environment which they will be in during the competition.

The most commonly assumed stereotypes were not borne out as overridingly problematic for the majority of those

surveyed. Not only did most females surveyed consider most bodybuilders to be normal people, the majority did not believe

that bodybuilders are using steroids or other drugs or are homosexual.

The chief motivators for the surveyed females to participate in their chosen activities were fun, enhancing their health,

and then, in descending importance, enhancing their appearance, managing their bodyweight, socializing, and skill. Only a

marginal number valued competition/winning to any degree. This sharply contrasts the motivators for males in physical

recreational activities, and moreover is borne out in the reverse finding of Straw, who cited over-emphasis on winning as a

major issue at the core of reluctance in the general female population to participate in sports activities (1994). Furthermore,

Henderson found that when they do participate, females respond to different motives from those of typical males. Females seek

social interaction, self-identity, empowerment, and "unconditional support, attention, acceptance" (1995).

This should be revealing and probably surprising to bodybuilding marketers, who traditionally have not actively

addressed the major motivations named in this survey, fun and health enhancement. Furthermore, what most women in this

survey wanted most in order to convince them to consider bodybuilding was a mentor, education, a companion to pursue it

with them, and assurance that they would still look feminine. These top findings are in line with the findings of Henderson,

who reported that personal contact was critical to recruit females into sports activities, who have not been previously active in

such programs. "Promotion must be personalized" (Henderson, 1995).

Furthermore, research disproved widely held assumptions attributed to the comparatively lesser volume of females who

participate in the sport compared to males, namely that females who are adverse to the sport are adverse because they hold

prejudiced views of female bodybuilders - that most use steroids or other drugs, that they are less intelligent, more likely to be

homosexual, and that female bodybuilders as a rule appear overly masculine. Other assumptions which were not borne out as

overridingly problematic issues including the assumptions that females generally hesitate to participate because of

psychological issues, such as being intimidated by the attractiveness of bodybuilders and considering themselves less likely to

succeed in competition.

Therefore, marketers should offer: one) personalized instruction in a setting addressing socially compatible females

(ideally established friends) or two or more; two) the atmosphere of fun and festival; and three) assurance that the participants

will retain their femininity, whatever they perceive it to be. Furthermore, since cooking was such a high-ranking popular

recreational activity, second only to sports and fitness, marketers would do well to combine an emphasis on this inherently

critical element of the sport.

References

Henderson, K. A. (1995) Marketing recreation and physical activity programs for females. The Journal of Physical

Education, Recreation and Dance, 66(6), 53-58.

Straw, S. (1994) Women in action (phase one-awareness final report). Toronto: Parks and Recreation.

T. Taylor and K. Tooney. (1999) Sport, gender, and cultural diversity: exploring the nexus. Journal of Sport

Management 13 (1):11.