Celebrity Endorsement - the Fitness Market in India

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Radically different classroom sessions which not only dealt with the subject Market Research but went far beyond in changing and molding our perspectives about the same and about many other things in life. Our heartfelt gratitude to our Professor Victor Manickam for making us believe that we could contribute substantially.

Our sincere thanks to all the respondents whose valuable inputs helped us in our cause.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"Fitness" is a concept applicable to different levels of the human personality, namely physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. A combination of these personalities is the medium of our existence. The research undertaken by us earlier has helped us establish a definite positive relationship between fitness and confidence levels.

Further it created inquisitiveness in us to establish the relationship of being fit with-

Premiumness- it being the amount of comfort, convenience, brand one seeks for in their daily schedule of fitness regimen.

Insecurity- This would give us insight into the inception of the want to be fit, further the comparison with people around at different age.

The other influencing factors like childhood, dependency (on instructors, family, peers).

SECONDARY RESEARCH

 The fitness market in India is estimated to be worth around Rs 2,500 crore and growing at about 40 per cent year-on-year. The segment has only about 20 organised players forming about six per cent of the market. (Source Business Line Aug 12, 2008)

 Significant negative relationships between amount of exercise and body satisfaction & self-esteem were found for young women, and positive relationships were found for mature women and young and mature men. (Source: The Effect of Exercise on Body Satisfaction and Self-Esteem as a Function of Gender and Age, Oct 2004, Australia)

 Aerobic exercise has been demonstrated to elevate mood, provide a sense of mastery and control, combat anxiety and mild depression, and enhance self-esteem. (Source: Plante & Rodin, 1990, Martinsen & Morgan and Sonstroem, 1997)

 Morbid obesity has acquired epidemic proportions in the country with 5 per cent of the population suffering from it. (Source: The Hindu, 12 Oct 2007)

 Seventy-six per cent of women in the capital, New Delhi, are suffering from abdominal obesity, according to a survey by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. (Source: India Resource Centre)

 "There is increasing evidence that children and adolescents of affluent families are overweight. It is possibly because of decreased physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, altered eating patterns with more fat content in the diet," "Only 19 per cent of the school children were found to be engaged in outdoor activities in our study, while 90 per cent of the obese children did not engage in any outdoor activity at all", Dr Umesh Kapil, additional professor from the Department of Human Nutrition and Biostatistics at AIIMS. (Source: 26 May 2005 TOI)

 "Women are predisposed to prefer muscularity in men" (Source: Reuters India, 10 Jul 2007)

 "We have found that the efficiency of a person goes up by 25% if they work out regularly," says Sharat Sareen, who runs The Zone Fitness Studio in Bangalore.

 Hasya yoga (which means laughter wisdom in Sanskrit) started in 1995 when a physician composing a paper on the health benefits of laughter decided to start a club in a public park near his home in Mumbai, India. Now, 11 years later, laughter yoga has caught on around the world and has about 250,000 members in 5,000 clubs in 40 countries worldwide.(Source Web: http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/health-fitness/articles/body-mind/rogers-glow/beauty_-_style-laughter_yoga)

 Benefits of fitness

Helps you sleep better

Although it may seem like common sense knowledge, studies linking regular exercise and improved sleep patterns are fairly recent. These studies have shown that moderate to vigorous 20- to 30-minute workouts three to four times a week help you sleep better.

Slows the aging process & reduces the risk of premature death

Most people lose 10% of their aerobic capacity each year after the age of 30. However, regular exercise can actually make you more aerobically fit as you get older. Working out also improves skin and muscle tone, increases flexibility and reduces the risk of many age-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke

Builds and maintains healthy muscles, bones & joints

As you get older, your bones lose density (mass), your joints become stiffer and less flexible, and your lean body mass decreases. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to slow or prevent muscle, joint and bone problems. A moderate to vigorous workout program can help you maintain strength and flexibility into your golden years.

Strengthens and boosts your immune system

Various studies have shown that working out improves immune function. In teenage and adult men, exercise is a powerful natural immune cell stimulator. In older men, the functioning of the immune system progressively declines, which can lead to an increased risk of infectious diseases and a reduced response to vaccination. The good news is that regular, moderate cardio workouts, such as jogging, walking or cycling, can partly offset the immune function decline in healthy older men.

Improves mental acuity

Many studies have proven that people who work out on a regular basis have better memory, reaction time and concentration than their sedentary counterparts. And it doesn't take much: walking for 45 minutes three times a week is enough to improve your degree of mental sharpness. Aerobic activity stimulates the middle-frontal and superior parietal regions of the brain, which are associated with attention and keeping goals in mind.

Improves confidence

Ask yourself this simple question: Do I feel better about myself when I'm sprawled out on the couch eating a bag of potato chips or after a great