Research Reveals Growing Power of Sports Consumers in South Korea Seoul, June 5, 2006 : Cheil Communications Inc., one of the world's top 20 advertising agencies, has published a research report on 'sposumers' an increasingly active and powerful demographic of sports consumers. The report, produced by Cheil's Brand Marketing Institute, analyses the characteristics of sposumers in South Korea, identifies new trends and proposes marketing strategies for companies wanting to appeal to this demographic. Cheil published the research to coincide with a cluster of major sporting events taking place this year, including the FIFA 2006 World Cup, the Torino Olympic Winter Games, the Doha Asian Games and the World Baseball Classic. Dr. Kyoo-Hoon Han, a director at the Brand Marketing Institute, said understanding sposumers is the key to successful marketing in the sports and recreation industries. 'As Koreans interest and participation in sports continues to grow, careful analysis of this purchasing group is necessary to ensure successful sports marketing and to develop the domestic sports market,' Dr. Han said. The report's findings are based on one-on-one interviews with 800 people aged 17 through 54 living in the greater Seoul area during March and April of this year. Sposumers are classified based on their responses to seven questions about their interest and participation in sports. Key findings and trends from the sposumer report include: - Increasing Participation: With increased leisure time resulting from the introduction of a five-day workweek, South Koreans participation and interest in sports is increasing. 53.8 percent of respondents indicated a strong interest in sports. 66.8 percent of respondents said they engage in some kind of sporting activity. Activity was highest among men and those between 45 and 54 years old. - Football Reigns Supreme: Football was the most popular sport, followed by baseball, swimming, working out at the gym, and mountain climbing. Over half of respondents said they watched the South Korean national football team play without fail, and 33.5 percent of male respondents said they enjoy playing football. - Sporting Patriotism: 69.3 percent of respondents said they felt national pride when they watched South Korea compete against other nations. Patriotism was strongest when South Korea was matched up against neighboring Japan. - Reduced Gender Barriers: Gender barriers in watching and participating in sports are breaking down. South Korean women are now taking part in a wider variety of sporting activities. Almost 22 percent of women said they would like to try adventure sports despite the risks involved. - Emerging 'Owl Tribe': A growing number of South Koreans are staying up until late at night to watch sports games abroad that feature Korean stars. In the survey, 38 percent of respondents said they would forego sleep if there was a game they wanted to watch. The full 180-page report, entitled 'Sposumers: An In-depth Analysis,' is being published in Korean only. However, an English-language summary of the report is available on the research section of Cheil.com.