Segmenting the Triathlon Association Membership Market: An Australian Example

Abstract

Triathletes are likely to be highly individualistic and strongly motivated by personal challenge. The sport is growing in popularity, and with this growth, organized clubs and associations have been formed to serve the needs of triathletes. In this paper, we describe the results of a research study conducted in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, aimed at investigating the motivations for competing in triathlons and reasons for joining local area triathlon clubs, and determining the relative impact of different features of Triathlon NSW membership on the renewal intentions of existing members. Although not directly generalizable to other regions, the results of the study give some interesting insights into the marketing issues facing associations of the type studied in this research. Of particular note is the clear identification of four distinct market segments among the Triathlon NSW membership.