誰是印度的副總統？這個問題，我問了一個比較聰明的朋友，而他沒有回答。然后我再問，誰是印度板球隊的副隊長？而當我說出Jack Robinson時，我的朋友和一個路人便回答出來了。當Umberto Eco說體育八卦是政治爭論的替代物，男人談論體育就像小女生裝女人時，我并不認同他；然而，我的實驗卻讓我陷入沉思。板球，這個占據了全國關注的項目，植根于每個印度人的心、思想以及電視。這項看上去無傷大雅的游戲實際上比我們所見的還要深奧；因此，我們要明白消費它的人群的關系。我們需要從一個不同的角度看待這個事情。
 

如果我們從一個商業的角度，把板球看作一樣產品，那么重要的問題是市場的原理可以應用在板球上嗎？產品消費者分割理論可以應用于理解板球粉絲或我們需要分開其相同的參數嗎？本項研究將嘗試回答以上問題；現在將會根據他們對板球的態度和行為進行消費者分割。此處將運用量化研究，問卷將在哪里用作數據收集工具及群集分析在哪里用以分析數據。
 

并沒有很多關于這一主題的研究，尤其在印度。因此這項研究能夠作為基礎工作并成為研究板球狂熱粉絲的第一步。這也對嘗試尋找板球消費者的聯系的組織具有重要意義，尤其是沒有基準的情況下。

 

Who is the Vice President of India? This was the question I asked an otherwise intelligent friend of mine, and he looked right through me. I then went on to ask him, who is the Vice Captain of the Indian Cricket team? The friend in question and a passerby, answered correctly before I could say Jack Robinson. When Umberto Eco said that sports chatter was a substitute for political debate and men discussing sports is like little girls playing ladies, I did not take him seriously; however, the experiment I conducted got me thinking. Cricket, the phenomenon that occupies the notorious position of “the nation’s preoccupation” has a place in every Indians heart, mind, soul and television. This seemingly innocuous game has more to it than meets the eye; thus one needs to understand the relationship it shares with the people who consume it. We need to look at this from a different perspective.

 

If we see it from the point of view of business and consider cricket as a product, the important question to ask is, can the principles of marketing be applied to cricket? Can the theories of segmentation of consumers of products be applied to get a deeper understanding of the fans of Cricket or we need separate parameters for same? This study will try to answer this question; here an attempt is made to segment consumers on the basis of their attitude and behaviour towards cricket. Here quantitative research is used, where Questionnaire will be used as the data collection tool and Cluster Analysis would be used for analysing the data.

 

There is not much study that has been done on this subject, especially in India. Thus this study can prepare the ground work and could act as the first step towards understanding the psyche of cricket fans. It can be of great use to the organisation who are trying to find a connect with the consumers of cricket, especially in the case of cricket where there is no benchmark available.

 

Importance of Study
 

As will be shown by the literature review their s no benchmark available in this area, thus the importance of this study lies in setting up a platform for further studies and developing a deeper understanding of the consumers of cricket. This could also hugely benefit the IPL teams in building a strong fan base, because with the help of this study they’ll be able to target the various segments present among their fans.

 

Here is a summary of the literature found on this subject or subject’s related.

 

Literature Review
 

Not much literature is available on the subject. The Literature found is divided into two categories:

 

Articles

 

Dissertations

 

Articles
 

Most of the available literature is in the form of studies done in US and other western countries on sports like NBA, hockey etc. Thus no literature could be found on studies done in India on Sports fan segmentation. Some of the related articles used the following approach.

 

Segmenting Sport Fans Using Brand Associations: A Cluster Analysis
 

This study uses cluster analysis to identify segments of spectators based upon the brand associations held for a professional sport team. It also identifies potential similarities and differences among identified segments based upon demographic variables. Results from a sample of 662 ticket holders from a National Basketball Association (NBA) team Indicated that the respondents could be segmented into two distinct groups based upon the perceptions of the sport brand. Results also indicated that the members of each spectator cluster could be further distinguished based upon their gender, educational level, and household income.

 

Using the Psychological Commitment to Team (PCT) Scale to Segment Sport Consumers Based on Loyalty
 

This study tried to develop a psychological commitment to team (PCT) scale to be used in segmenting sport consumers based on loyalty. Although measures of behavioural loyalty are readily available in team sports (e.g., attendance, television viewing), no appropriate measure of attitudinal loyalty was available prior to the - current study. A number of statistical procedures and four separate data collections were used to assess' the strength of the PCT scale. The PCT scale provides sport marketers with a measurement tool for differentiating consumers into discrete segments based on the strength of their overall loyalty. It also suggests alternative strategies for strengthening fan allegiance for each of the different loyalty segments.

 

Fan Satisfaction and Segmentation
 

This study is done from a sports marketer’s perspective, that how it would be of interest for him to understand satisfaction of fans though respondent segmentation. The Steps involved in conducting this research are presented by conducting and in-depth examination of this process by a minor league hockey team in United States.

 

Difference in Interrelationship between Spectators' Motives and Behavioural Intentions Based on Emotional Attachment
 

This study Segment’s spectators based on emotional attachment toward team, university, coach, and player, and to examine whether different groups of people classified by emotional attachment demonstrate different interrelationships between motives and behavioural intentions in attending sporting events. The results revealed that the feasibility of two clusters is derived from emotional attachments and those two groups demonstrate different interrelationships between spectators' motives and behavioural intentions, respectively. In conclusion, this study can provide a baseline for sport marketers (1) to develop a usable segmentation structure based on emotional attachment that delivers the intended message to the targeted sport consumers, and (2) to determine what strategies they need to adopt in order to retain their customers once motives for each segment have been uncovered.

 

A Mixed-Method Approach for Developing Market Segmentation Typologies in the Sports Industry
 

This study presents a mixed-method approach for segmenting a sports product-market using participation motivation data. Qualitative data are used to segment a national sports product-market—running footwear—using qualitative analysis software as well as multivariate statistical approaches. This study describes a systematic approach to developing a consumer segmentation typology using both demographic variables as well as self-expressed motivations for sport and fitness participation. The mixed-method approach reported here employs qualitative data to help validate subsequent quantitative cluster analysis, and draws upon cluster profiles to establish the structure for market segmentation. The findings from this study offer implications for marketing research and marketing communications in the sport industry.

 

Dissertations
 

Dissertation submitted my Ex-MICA students, which are relevant to the current topic are discussed below. Although there hasn’t been any work done on segmentation of cricket consumers, but studies are present for example to understand the impact of culture on cricket or using semiotics as a tool to study cricket or to look into the consumption of cricket in India.

 

A Semiotic and Cultural enquiry into Cricket
 

This study tries to look deeper into the socio-cultural aspects of cricket by using semiotics as a tool. The purpose of this research was to understand the game semiotically by looking at the evolution of the game over the years which might provide a deeper understanding of this cultural phenomenon. The study, being a semiotic and a cultural study was carried out based on an in-depth analysis of secondary data like published material on culture, semiotics and cricket.

 

This semiotic study of Cricket included, an analysis of the historical conditions under which the game thrived namely the evolution of the game over the years, where one looks at the social conditions under which the game of cricket evolved, the class issues in cricket and how the game has changed over the years, An analysis of the way cricket is constructed and the meanings that people derive from this game. The concept of the myth and cricket and an analysis of the game in India, the socio cultural perspective probing into questions like why cricket was chosen over other sports like hockey and football and the way in which the game spread all over the country and the effect the game has had on the Indian.

 

The research was conducted by analyzing the literature available in the areas of semiotics, sports, cultural studies, and the history of cricket and British India. An understanding of semiotics and how this tool is applied to various cultural phenomena along with some basic readings in cultural studies has thrown some light on the way certain phenomenon like football have been studied in the past, I have made an attempt to template this procedure on the sport of cricket and have tried to understand the game through this tool.

 

Understanding the consumption of cricket among TV viewers: A Postmodern approach
 

This study gives an understanding of the consumption of Cricket as a game and the Cricketer in his many expected roles. It does so by examining the consumption of Cricket among TV viewers of the game, to establish the role of the players, the media and advertisers in as much detail as possible and by profiling role expectations that viewers have about Cricket personalities. Also it takes a look at the ‘cultural logic’ that drives the consumption of Cricket and the aspect of the Indian psyche to which the game appeals. Thus this study could help us in understanding the impact of culture on cricket.

 

Psychographic Profiling of customers, to predict their needs and expectations, from an Exclusive Sports Brand for Women in India
 

In this study, both Qualitative and Quantitative methods of research have been used to find out the need and feasibility of an exclusive sports brand for women in India. The main focus of the study is to identify and eventually psychographically profile the various niche segments that exist within the segment of women sports products’ buyers i.e. women buyers of brands like Nike, Adidas, and Reebok etc.

 

The study at its 1st stage involved conducting a Qualitative pilot study to find out about the need of the brand amongst the young women i.e. the college goers. The findings revealed a distinct need. Besides, from the study came out 3 distinct segments of such sports products buyers- players, sporty women and health conscious women.

 

After the need for this brand was established and the segments identified, the 2nd stage of the study was conducted which entailed another Qualitative study through in depth interviews with the purpose of finding the parameters for the subsequent detailed Quantitative study.

 

The 3rd stage involved administering a Quantitative questionnaire to the women college goers for the purpose of subsequently differentiating them on the basis of general attitude, attitude towards Sportiness, the products that they buy and the attributes that are important to them. Thereafter, a factor analysis was run on the attitude statements to get the factors, the factor scores from which were used to get the Discriminant function.

 

The findings revealed that these 3 types of buyers of sports products could be broadly

 

Psychographically differentiated on 2 dimensions- Exhibitionists and Self-conscious women. The players were found to be Exhibitionists while the sporty women and the health conscious women were found to play for physical fitness and health reasons. Factors like Mental toughness and killer instinct attitude were not important for this age group.

 

Cricket and the Indian
 

This study tries to look into the unclear understanding of the cascading mental and emotional effects, the game of cricket has had on the Indian psyche and the lack of a detailed exploratory research analysis on the impactful influence the game has had on the Indian way of life. Also it probes into the reasons of Cricket being such a social and commercial success in the Indian context. There seems to be no concrete finding of the reasons of the public motivation behind persisting with Brand Cricket even at the cost of alienating the likes of Hockey which is our national sport.