Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Attracts Young Adults With Purchasing Power

Source - Scarborough Sports Marketing:

MMA Fans are Avid Technology, Automotive and Retail Consumers

(NEW YORK, November 23, 2009): Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), a sport combining boxing and martial arts, is attracting young, well-established, high-tech consumers, according to sports fan research firm Scarborough Sports Marketing. Scarborough examined the shopping patterns, demographics and lifestyles of Mixed Martial Arts fans* and found that these adults are 51 percent more likely than the average American to be ages 18-24; 25 percent more likely to have a household size of three or more people; and 67 percent more likely to be male.

In addition to their youthful demographics, MMA fans have sound financials. They are 15 percent more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of $75k+ and 10 percent more likely to own a second home. They are selective investors and six percent more likely to have stocks or stock options in their household, and 33 percent more likely to invest online.

“In recent years, MMA, through UFC and Strikeforce, has moved from being an emerging athletic genre to more of a mainstream, established and competitive sport. In doing so, it has developed a young male fan base,” said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president, Scarborough Sports Marketing. “Sports marketing has proven its value through a difficult economic climate, and MMA can help marketers capitalize on their customers’ engagement with sports.”

In addition to being young, male and well-established, MMA fans represent a high-tech audience. They are not only well above the national average for current ownership of high-tech household items such as HDTVs, VOD service, video game systems and broadband Internet connections, but they are more likely to plan to upgrade their household wares. (see chart below for further details)

Beyond technology, the MMA fan base could also have appeal to automotive marketers. These fans represent 15 percent of all adults planning to buy a new pickup truck for their household during the next year, and are 85 percent more likely than the average adult to plan such a purchase within the next year. Other new vehicle categories appealing to the MMA fan include:

• Full-size Cars: MMA fans account for 18 percent of the market for potential new buyers** of full-size cars, and are more than twice as likely as all adults to plan this household vehicle purchase during the next year

• SUVs: MMA fans account for 10 percent of the market for potential new buyers** of SUVs, and are 19 percent more likely to plan this household vehicle purchase during the next year

• Luxury Vehicles: MMA fans account for 15 percent of the market for potential new buyers** of luxury vehicles, and are 84 percent more likely to plan this household vehicle purchase during the next year

Their household and personal shopping and buying patterns are also notable beyond technology and vehicles. The MMA fan is 15 percent more likely to live in a household that shopped at a furniture/mattress store during the past year, and 35 percent more likely to live in a household that shopped at a large appliance store during the past year. In the business-to-business category, MMA fans are 62 percent more likely than the average adult to be a corporate decision maker for overnight delivery services, and 37 percent more likely to make office equipment and supplies purchase decisions for their companies.

“From technology to automotive and household appliances to corporate delivery services, the MMA fan clearly represents a solid audience for a great diversity of marketers,” said Mr. Goldberg. “Those who begin leveraging this league’s fan base now will have unique opportunities to begin establishing brand loyalty within their ranks.”

Household Technology	Mixed Martial Arts Fans who CURRENTLY OWN (Index, 100=National Average)	Mixed Martial Arts Fans who PLAN TO BUY (Index, 100=National Average)
Computer	108	176
Digital Camera	118	152
DVR	108	229
DVD Player	114	155
Energy Saving Appliance	129	151
HDTV	115	168
PDA (Blackberry, etc.)	149	238
MP3 Player (i.e. iPod)	144	189
Satellite Radio Subscription	152	289
Satellite TV Subscription	112	174
Video Game System	156	258
VoIP	161	226
Broadband	113	NA

* “Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fans” are defined as those adults who watched Mixed Martial Arts on broadcast or cable television during the past year.

** Automotive “potential new buyers” are adults who plan to buy a vehicle within the next year

SOURCE: Scarborough Sports Marketing, Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 1 2009 (6 months)

About Scarborough Sports Marketing

Scarborough Sports Marketing (www.scarboroughsportsmarketing.com, sports@scarborough.com) measures local and national consumer and lifestyle information by interviewing over 221,000 adults (18+) in 81 Top-Tier Markets, including all professional sports markets. Scarborough sports measurements include fan avidity; multi-media measures including sports viewing and listening; corporate sponsorship information including fans' shopping and product/service usage; and leisure activities. Scarborough delivers twice-yearly updates of its local market reports to a diverse client base, spanning all major media, advertisers and their agencies. Scarborough Sports Marketing is a division of Scarborough Research, which is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Company.