Fieldreport Make your choice, but
A buy-out at the start of 2011 has boosted Sports Marketing
Surveys Inc. in its core mission to help its clients make better business decisions, as managing director John Bushell explains to Duncan Lennard
“K
nowledge is power”. Never mind that Sir Francis Bacon first uttered the phrase more
than four centuries ago; in today’s digital world, it has never been a more accepted concept – nor has information been a more marketable commodity. “Over the last 15 years, people involved
in sport - whether at governing bodies or running sports goods businesses - have increasingly needed to make decisions based on fact and data rather than on a personal viewpoint or opinion,” says John Bushell, managing director for Sports Marketing Surveys Inc. “Much of this is down to the marketplace becoming more global. Decisions have greater geographical and commercial impact: getting it wrong can be very expensive!” Sports Marketing Survey Inc.’s goal is
to ensure the number of correctly taken decisions continues to increase, whether the choices are made by a manufacturer, independent retailer or governing body. The company was established in 1984, but added the ‘Inc.’ only a couple of years ago following a buy-out of the sports business from IFM Sports Group. The buy-out was effected by Bushell and former Sports Marketing Surveys owner
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: John Bushell, managing director of Sports Marketing Surveys Inc.
Stephen Proctor. The ‘Inc.’ on the deal has dried well - so to speak - over the past two years, and Bushell says the new incarnation is both settled and strong. “We’ve lost nothing of our heritage or history because the same team has come across,”
he says. “Stephen Proctor is still here, as chairman. We have the same people, the same ethos and the same business ethic. “We are a strategic research consultancy focusing on sports goods, sports participation and
on how sports brands and venues can grow. The sports industry is competing for the leisure dollar; for both leisure time and what people choose to spend their money on. By boosting understanding of the trends, the motivators, the dynamics in the market place, we can provide the sports industry with the insight that leads to making better business decisions.” While SMS Inc. covers a range of sports from running, cycling, tennis and winter sports –
indeed, the company has just completed a study on volleyball in Italy –golf remains a core strength. Annual reports, such as the European Tour Equipment Census and Retail Audits, are known and respected throughout the trade. Bushell attributes SMS Inc.’s strength in golf not just to a close and long-standing relationship with the industry, but also to a shared passion for the game among the staff. “We love the sport,” says Bushell. “We are comfortable there and people know us, and our
history in covering the game has given us an understanding of how its industry works.” 14 SGBGOLF
Talking numbers
S
MS Inc. categorises its research into three areas: issues affecting market dynamics,
the retailer and the consumer. The information drawn from SMS Inc. surveys can reveal anything from the minutiae (the average price paid for a driver in the UK rose by 9% in the past year) to the panoramic (3.94 million people played golf in Great Britain and Ireland in 2011). The company can also draw on smart and practical distinctions within its figures, for instance: just over 40% of those nigh-on four million golfers would be considered core players - those that play 12 times a year or more – and that core 40% accounts for over 75% of total money spent in golf.
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