Consumer Behavior Analysis

Running Head: Fitbit Blaze Analysis 1
Consumer Behavior Analysis on the Fitbit Blaze
Consumer Behavior
Professor Sinno
5/10/16
7:45 A.M.
Adam Killion, Ben Kroll, Dani Morillo, Dylan Dietz, Tyler Lewan, Maceo Lozan

Fitbit Blaze Analysis 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................3
Section 1: Company, Brand, and Product Overview
Fitbit Overview ..................................................................................................................4
Competition ........................................................................................................................5
Section 2: Marketing Communication Strategy
Advertising .........................................................................................................................6
Sponsorship ........................................................................................................................7
Digital Marketing Campaign .............................................................................................7
Section 3: Target Market Analysis
VALS ...............................................................................................................................11
Life style Dimensions ......................................................................................................11
Personality ........................................................................................................................12
Section 4: Consumer Influences
Age ...................................................................................................................................13
Internal Influences ............................................................................................................13
Social Pressure/Peers .......................................................................................................14
Section 5: Consumer Decision Model
Compensatory Model .......................................................................................................14
Section 6: Positioning Map
Positioning Map ...............................................................................................................15
Section 7: Takeaways
Takeaways ........................................................................................................................15
Work Cited ...................................................................................................................................17

Executive Summary
The Fitbit Blaze is a very unique product in how it markets itself to consumers. It has
developed a niche market combining consumers that want an active lifestyle while maintaining a
professional career. It serves both as a status symbol, but it has a large utilitarian value with the
functionality it provides.
Since the Fitbit Blaze is such a unique hybrid, there are few direct competitors. However,
the closest ones are from Garmin and Apple. Fitbit stands unique to Garmin by being highly
customizable and more of a status symbol, and it differs from Apple by being a fitness tracker
first and a smartwatch second.
The advertising campaign of Fitbit is also unique. They do not do traditional tv marketing
as much as many other products. Instead, they do a lot of nontraditional marketing campaigns
such as sponsorship programs. They connect to their target market by holding 5k’s and other
athletic events.
Looking at Fitbit’s target market, they target young to mid adults who are very proactive
in health. They like to work out regularly, but they have professional careers where they must be
presentable. This creates a need for status which the Blaze provides with its aesthetic appearance.
The way the target market develops their decision making process is through the
compensatory model. The model utilizes multiple attributes and ranks the preference for each
attribute. It allows one attribute to score poorly by having several strong attributes. This occurs
for all products in a consumer’s thought process to come to a final decision of what to purchase.
This ultimately leads to a positioning map for the fitness tracker sector. Comparing the
price of the products to the level of activity it is designed for, you can see that the Fitbit Blaze
positions itself right in the crosshairs of the positioning map providing a niche market.

Section 1: Company, Brand, and Product Overview
Overview
Fitbit is a company who combines wearable technology with the health and fitness world.
They develop cutting edge technology that complements an active and fit lifestyle. (Fitbit, 2016)
Their fitness trackers are wrist components that track steps, sleep cycles and more. They target
people with fitness levels of all types. Ranging from the consumer who just wants to track steps
all the way up to the gym-rat who wants heart-rate analysis and waterproof technology. Their
mission statement is to empower and inspire you to live a healthier, more active life. The
wearable tech market at the whole is huge. Over the last 10 years, it has been climbing rapidly.
Business Insider provided a market forecast that extends into 2018. They estimate the market at
$8 billion right now, and they expect it to increase to over $12 billion in the next 2 years. This
can be seen in the figure below.

The Fitbit Blaze is their latest product which combines the fashion and functionality of a
smartwatch and the health benefits of a sports band. It is also their most customizable sport band
to date. With many interchangeable bands, it appeals to those who aren’t in the gym 7 days a
week. It provides all of the health benefits their previous device has except for built in GPS. It
also has a color touchscreen with smartwatch notifications. It comes with a price of $200 and
increases with upgrades in the interchangeable bands. Specs for the Blaze are a 1.66 inch, 240 x
180 pixel LCD touchscreen with a 5 day battery life (dependent on usage). Features also include
music control, all-day activity and sleep, heart rate monitor, on-screen workouts and call, text
and calendar alerts. (Sawh, 2016, p.1)
Competition
One of Fitbit’s competing brands is the Apple watch. The watch directly connects to your
personal iPhone so while you are walking or driving, your Apple Watch will vibrate and show a
message notification or phone call that you have received that can be managed by the
touchscreen it has. For people that are physically active, the watch can track your workouts and
other daily routines you may have. You can also customize the look of the watch through
different types of bands you can connect to it such as leather or changing the color from black to
white. This watch is more for the active population that is on the go day in and day out. It is an
expensive accessory that is going to cost around $300.
Another competing brand of Fitbit is the Garmin Vivoactive watch. With its high-
resolution color touchscreen, you are able to connect with any smartphone to track your
messages, phone calls, apps, or activity tracker for sports that you may be involved in such as

golf, biking, running, swimming, etc. Its 8mm wide screen allows runners to use a GPS system
for their paths that they use during their daily activities. It has two different colors you can
choose from and is chargeable up to 3 weeks.
Section 2: Marketing Communication Strategy
Advertising
Fitbit choose the biggest stage of all to unveil the Fitbit Blaze. During the 2016
Superbowl, Fitbit unveiled the Blaze with a 30-second spot titled “Dualities.” From the
beginning, it was apparent the target market that Fitbit had in mind for its marketing
communications. The commercial shows three different young adults balancing their busy
professional lives while still participating in, and enjoying, physical activity. This advertisement
immediately laid a landscape for how Fitbit would operate its marketing communications for the
Blaze. Fitbit’s concept behind the Blaze is a smart watch that functions more as a fitness tool,
while still maintaining smart watch applications on fashionable platform. As a result, much of
Fitbit’s advertising for this product has emphasized its use in multiple settings. Targeting what
experts have phrased “everyday athletes” is also a major aspect of Fitbits advertising strategy.
Fitbit has identified individuals who are certainly not professional, but rather simply enjoy
physical activity as its target market for the Blaze. This makes advertising for the Blaze more
complex as this target market is made up of young, busy individuals who often do not watch
television. For this reason, the “Dualities” spot is the only national television advertisement run
by Fitbit specifically for the Blaze. To reach the desired market, Fitbit has begun using
sponsorship and digital marketing campaigns.

Sponsorship
Fitbit has a substantial presence in event sponsorship. Obviously, sponsoring endurance
and wellness events aligns with the overall framework of Fitbit’s marketing strategy. Fitbit has
sponsored larger events such as the Tiburon Half Marathon and the Bay to Breakers road race, as
well as various other 5k’s and road races. According to The Fit Blog, Fitbit’s page designed
specifically for articles, events, and other miscellaneous content, Fitbit is sponsoring The North
Face Free Run on September 8th (The Fitbit Blog, 2016). Additionally, Fitbit is beginning a
series of training runs to get runners in race shape for whatever race they may be running. The
event will be lead by an “ultra marathon-man,” Dean Karnazes and is free for the public. These
type of events orchestrated by Fitbit continue to emphasize their strategy for brand community.
Similarly, Fitbit does not currently or have any plans to sponsor any professional athletes. In
effect, this is due to Fitbit’s desire to maintain the message that Fitbit is for the everyday athlete
and for young buys individuals who enjoy fitness, not individuals that are necessarily elite
athletes. Beyond fitness activities, Fitbit has recently shifted some of its sponsorship towards the
music activity. To prove the ultra-usability of the Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit’s marketing team activated
a sponsorship with YouTube to have musicians show how they use Fitbit devices to stay healthy
on the road. Again, this incorporates Fitbit’s strategy to position its product as a fitness smart
watch.
Digital Marketing Campaigns
Establishing the target market for the Fitbit Blaze as young and active professionals
means the need for a strong digital marketing campaign is crucial. Because of this Fitbit goes
beyond simply tweeting advertisements and information about its products. Rather, they have
attempted to create a community among its brand users. Scrolling through Fitbit’s Twitter page

one will find blogs on adding healthy ingredients to your diet, how to avoid stress at work, and
month long training programs. Similarly, when Fitbit does decide to promote a product such as
the Blaze, it adds hashtags or links, such as #FitbitBlaze, to create a community and increase
traffic. The twitter promotion of the Blaze again emphasizes the multiple uses of the product.
One tweet read, “From workout to night out, #FitbitBlaze has everything you need to get fit in
style,” followed by a link with a description and purchase option. These tweets are an attempt to
inform consumers about the uses of the Blaze while also generating brand loyalty and
community.
Much of the Fitbit Facebook page is a replica of the Twitter page; however, one unique
aspect of the Facebook page was testimonials and success stories. One post shared a story of a
man and his running partner, which happened to be rescue dog. The story explained how his
Fitbit Blaze was helping him reach his goal of running an Olympic triathlon. Similar to this,
Fitbit’s Instagram page also had success stories, while also showing the Fitbit Blaze can be
stylish as well as a solution for fitness needs. Demographically, the users of the Fitbit are
separated for each different social media site. According to Jetscram, about 35 percent of
Facebook users are ages 35 to 54. 35 percent of Twitter users are ages 18 to 29, and 37 percent of
Instagram users are 18 to 29 (Apuzzo, 2014). From this data, Fitbit has strategically employed
social media content that appeals to each of these age groups on different social media platforms.
This is why posts such as recipes and health tips can be found on the Facebook page, and posts
such as photos of attractive young people wearing the Blaze while out on the town are posted on
Instagram and Twitter. Strategically separating social media content has played a critical part in
creating Fitbit’s brand community.

Beyond traditional and alternative media routes for advertising, Fitbit has employed a
unique program for corporations and businesses. Organizations are constantly searching for ways
to encourage healthy living in and out of the office. Fitbit’s Corporate Wellness program allows
organizations to use the fitness tracking capabilities of a Fitbit device to run office-wide
challenges. These challenges allow corporate employees to be competitive as well as
encouraging healthy living. The Corporate Wellness program is a win-win for Fitbit’s marketing
communication strategy, as it requires users to own a Fitbit device to participate in the
challenges, and spreads word-of-mouth advertising. Additionally, users are invited to blog about
their experience with the Corporate Wellness program or about their Fitbit use in general. By
inviting this user-based content, Fitbit is inviting criticism and therefore, puts themselves at risk.
However, modern generations of consumers gravitate to brands that are honest, authentic, and
are open to criticism. Beyond this, the Fitbit brand is now looked upon as a progressive brand
with the betterment of human health at the forefront of its corporate objectives.
Section 3: Target Market Analysis
In looking at the target market for the Fitbit Blaze, we must take a look at the
demographic, behavioristic, and psychographic information.
The Fitbit Blaze’s target market’s demographics include people in the age range 23-50,
who are professionals in their careers. They have a specific interest in health and tend to work
out regularly and lead a healthy lifestyle. Our target market tends to own a Fitbit wearable and a
smartphone. They are value conscious but have expendable income ($50,000/year income). They

are also comfortable with technology but necessarily an expert. They live in North America, and
are more comfortable buying from well-known companies.
In the behavioristic aspect, we’ll talk about benefits sought, brand loyalty, user status,
and readiness to buy. Our target market seeks benefits that will help them lead healthy lifestyles.
The following features ultimately provide them with the benefit of a healthier lifestyle: step
tracker, distance tracker, calories burned tracker, sleep tracker, and built-in GPS. Because our
primary market tends to own a Fitbit wearable, they tend to have high brand loyalty. They are
referred to as “Hard-core loyalists” (Exams Tutor). Fitbit is regarded as a leader in the wearable
technology industry, so brand loyalty is quite high within our market. In already owning a Fitbit,
our target market exhibits ‘medium’ usage rate and are ‘regular users’ of our products already.
These regular users already have experience with the wearables and it would not be a brand new
product for them. Along with that, the stage in their readiness to buy is one of conviction. In this
stage, promotion must now build confidence in the audience that their preference for the product
is justified, and convince them through a range of promotion tools including for example the use
of positive press reviews, and expert recommendations that their product is the right one to buy
(Exams Tutor).
The term psychographics refers to the way consumer lifestyles are measured. For the
Fitbit Blaze specifically, this would include people who pursue a healthy lifestyle. They are very
health-focused and relate their purchases back to their health. A secondary psychographic profile
for the Fitbit Blaze is the autonomous profile. These are independent-thinking consumers who
strive to be upwardly mobile. They enjoy the nightlife and read few newspapers. This segment

enjoys weekend travel (Babin, p.114). As you can tell, they are active and like to be on the go,
physically.
To wrap up the target market analysis, this video (Fox Business Video) shows the
difference between Fitbit’s target market compared to Apple. Fitbit does not target the same type
of consumer as Apple, hence, in this case, their sales were surpassing Apple’s. From minute 1:53
to 2:24 we see James Park, Fitbit CEO, talk about the market Fitbit targets. He states, when
compared to Apple, that the Fitbit’s mission is very different as well. It is “… to use technology
to help people get healthier and more active by giving them data, inspiration, and guidance.”. In
general, Fitbit seeks to help people lead healthier lives, and their target market is different than
Apple’s. This is why they continue to be very successful.
VALS Types
The primary VALS type for the Fitbit Blaze target market is experiencers. The Fitbit
Blaze target market fits this category the best because they love physical activity and are
sensation seeking individuals. They also are very spontaneous and are also the first in and out of
trend adoption. Experiencers also tend to include a younger demographic more specifically
people in their late 20’s and early 30’s just like our target market. The secondary VALS type for
our target market is innovators. Our target market fits into this category because they are value
conscious, they have a wide variety of interests and activities, and most importantly are the most
up to date on technology.
Lifestyle Dimensions
Our target market interests include working out whether that be indoors in a gym or
outside. They are interested in anything that helps them live a health conscious lifestyle. They

tend to have a positive attitude because they are spontaneous health conscious individuals who
tend to have a very professional career. This plays into the behavioristic approach to market
segmentation. They maintain a very active lifestyle and value the benefits that come from staying
in shape. In terms of spending habits, these consumers are willing to pay a premium for proactive
health tracking capabilities.
Personality
The target market for the Fitbit Blaze tends to exhibit a high need for cognition in the fact
that they think carefully about products, problems, and even marketing messages (Babin, p.108).
Because the Fitbit’s health-focused approach and the target market’s analysis before purchasing
the product align, there tends to be a very high level of satisfaction from the buyers.
The Fitbit Blaze became a household name due to its innovativeness, which is the degree
to which a consumer is open to new ideas and quick to adopt, buying new products, services, or
experiences soon after they are introduced (Babin, p. 107). This is why the target market tends to
be very innovative.
This specific line of the Fitbit is, subconsciously, geared to fit the mid to higher income
levels of society. This is because of the perception of quality and prestige that the Blaze
resonates. For this reason, the target market also exhibits the behavior of self-monitoring. Self-
monitoring is the tendency for consumers to observe and control behavior in ways that agree
with social cues and influence (Babin, p.109). In fact, for self-monitors, the opinions and
thoughts of others is very important. They are very interested in image, and seek opportunities to
improve it.

Section 4: Consumer Influences
Age:
Our target market of young professionals between the ages of 20-30 are commonly
searching for their significant other. For most, in order to impress, they believe looking healthy
makes them more attractive. As the Fitbit is a very commonly worn accessory for people with
healthy lifestyles, that image is wanted by consumers to create a better brand for themselves.
According to CNBC.com, “…a new report by market research firm NPD Group, 36 percent of
people who own fitness trackers in the U.S. are 35 to 54 years old and are predominantly women.
In contrast, more than two-thirds of smartwatch owners are male and between ages 18
and 34.” With our first target market being associated with the “millennials”, we now go into our
other target market dealing with the “baby boomers.” The secondary market of older
professionals such as the ages between 40-60 years old are looking to get themselves back into
shape after the start of their marriage or having children. Either from the aspect of their doctor
telling them their health is at risk or they’re looking to rejuvenate their image with their
significant other, these individuals may be dealing with a “mid-life crisis” that they are now
wanting a better lifestyle. The accessory of the FitBit Blaze can bring upon some motivation to
get them to the gym.
Internal Influences:
In general, people seek attention. They enjoy being the one at the top of the pyramid.
Being the athlete or being the health freak seems to be, in our society, the “cool” thing to be.
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, people need the safety/protection from elements
that in this instance, would be potential health risks. They also need the self-esteem to believe
that their self-achievement is there and with the watch, it can bring upon more self-respect and

confidence knowing they can connect with social groups focused on a healthy lifestyle. With the
Fitbit Blaze, it symbolizes the image of healthy or athletic. The watch personifies the effort to be
the best you can potentially be through your own self-image. According to the U.S. department
of health and human services, more than 2 in 3 adults are considered obese or overweight. This
needs to change. With having the watch, it could potentially be people’s motivation to head to
the gym instead of being at the doctor’s office in their near future.
Social Pressure / Peers:
Part of what has made the adoption process for the Fitbit Blaze happen so quickly is the
way consumers place a social pressure on others. Especially when it comes to health and the way
a person looks, consumers can be easily persuaded to purchase products that will assist them in
being as healthy or looking as good as their peers do physically. Fitbit’s target market of younger
professionals is very impressionable when it comes to physical appearance. Similar to the fitness
aspect, the Fitbit Blaze has also been marketed as a stylish smart watch that can be used for more
than just fitness tracking. The media has played a role in assisting Fitbit’s marketing, as well.
Modern media has continuously reinforced the fact that healthy is beautiful, and even that health
is a necessity for young people. As a result, a whole new market has been developed for health
commodities and products. According to Statista, gym memberships in the U.S. have grown
from 32.8 million in 2000, to 54.1 million in 2014 (Statista, 2014). A market for health
technology developed rapidly as the mantra of healthy being beautiful continued and continues
to present itself in media. Again, the younger market that Fitbit pursues is more impressionable
than older demographics. Similarly, health and fitness purposes, many people often rationalize
reasons as to why they are not healthy. Many consumers have come to believe that an individual
wearing a Fitbit Blaze signifies that person to be healthy or working towards a health related

goal. As a result, it can be inferred that a large majority of Fitbit Blaze sales are made before
consumers even commit to a healthy lifestyle. Consumers often feel influenced and pressured by
their peers especially when it comes to physical looks; Fitbit Blaze has taken advantage of this
by promoting the Blaze as a new necessity in the fitness and health market.
Section 5: Consumer Decision Model
The compensatory model will be the consumer decision model utilized more than likely.
This uses attributes that are weighted. You ranked each attribute based on if it is a positive or
negative attribute, and then you select from a scale of 1-10 how well each product features that
specific attribute. If price is an attribute, you could say a high cost is a bad attribute and give it an
initial rating of -2. You then look at all of the products in consideration and see how expensive it
is. An Apple Watch may score a 9 while the Fitbit Blaze might score a 6. So the Apple Watch
would end up with a total score of -18 for the price while the Fitbit Blaze ends with a -12. You
then go through each attribute and follow this pattern. Once you are done with that, you will add
up the total score, and whichever product has the highest total score is the product you select.
This allows you to pick a product that may perform poorly in on attribute, but the positives
compensate those negatives. The Fitbit Blaze is such a well-rounded fitness tracker that it would
be likely candidate for most people inside of Fitbit’s target market. Since a fitness tracker is such
a significant and usually a one-time purchase, consumers will spend a significant amount of time
and research prior to any purchases.
Section 6: Positioning Map
For the positioning map, we used price as our x-axis ranging from cheap to expensive.
Our y-axis ranges measures fitness and ranges from casually active to professional fitness. We
chose this because consumers have varying fitness needs. There are extreme athletes who work

professionally, and need the latest and best technology for their activity tracking. On the other
end of the spectrum, you have health conscious consumers who are mainly concerned with
maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle. They still value specs and stats, but they do not need all
of the extensive numbers. They typically work out 3 times a week and do a typical lifting, cardio
and sporting activities. We looked at 4 different brands and 7 fitness products. For Fitbit, we
looked at the Surge, Blaze, Alta and Flex. Based on our map, we are able to see that the price
often reflects if the product is made for professional fitness or casually active. Garmin had the
Vivoactive HR which scored the highest professional fitness but relatively expensive. Our
cheapest product was the Jawbone UP24 which does provide surprisingly quite a few health
stats. The durability would be the only issue in question. For the Apple Watch, you can see it
doesn’t primarily focus on targeting the athletic wearable market. It does have a few health
functions, but that overall build of the watch isn’t made for a lot of athletic events. It also is a
high-end product scoring as our most expensive. The Fitbit Blaze lands right in the middle of our
map which was expected. It is a reasonably priced piece that has quite a few fitness functions. It
also has an aesthetic appeal that crosses into the casual wearer’s market.

Takeaways
Ben
In terms of improving the marketing efforts of the Fitbit Blaze, continuing to create a brand
community should be the main emphasis. The most effective way of doing this is using social
media to provide consumers with content that they desire. By posting feel good stories, diet tips,
exercise routines, and other non-product content, Fitbit is proving to consumer that they truly
care about their lifestyle and are not simply pushing sales. To continue to enhance the brand in
future product releases, Fitbit could make Superbowl product rollouts an annual marketing
tradition for new products. As Fitbit unveiled the Blaze at this year’s Superbowl, using this
platform could keep consumers interested as a new product is released on the largest advertising
stage available.
This project lead me to gain an appreciation for the creation of brand communities. I believe the
majority of marketers feel that the emphasis should always be on maximizing sales and profits
and using advertising platforms such as social media to promote products. However, what Fitbit

and many companies are now doing is using these platforms to assist individuals and provide
desirable content to keep them in constant contact with the brand.
Dylan
One takeaway from my section is that the primary VAL's type for the fit bit blaze is the
experiencers. The secondary VAL's type is innovators. Our target market fits these VAL's types
because they love physical activity and they tend to have a wide variety of interests and
activities.
Dani
I learned the importance of understanding your target market and making sure your mission
statement is clear and matches up with your target market. When FitBit's CEO was asked about
FitBit's performance compared to Apple, he was very concise on his response. He stated that
Fitbit's mission is different than Apple's because their mission "... is to use technology to help
people get healthier and more active by giving them data, inspiration, and guidance.”. In general,
Fitbit seeks to help people lead healthier lives, and their target market is different than Apple’s.
This is why they continue to be very successful. That is my takeaway from this project.
Adam
My takeaway is just how many functions outside of the physical components of the product go
into the marketing campaign for a product. You need to understand the habits and thought
processes of your target market to properly reach them and get them to purchase your product.
Tyler
The marketing campaign of a product is the key ingredient to success.

Maceo
I learned how some of the smallest things can have such a huge impact on people when it comes
to buying a product. Let’s say you don’t have a certain color that someone is looking for, they’re
probably going to go out and find a similar product that does. And even if your product in
particular is superior they still will go with the less superior product. Little things like that can
be the reason you miss out on customers. That is a big takeaway I gained from the project.

Work Cited
Apuzzo, Randy. "Social Media User Statistics & Age Demographics." RSS. Jetscram, 20 Oct.
2014. Web. 09 May 2016.
Ballve, M. (2013, August 29). Wearable Gadgets Are Still Not Getting The Attention They
Deserve - Here's Why They Will Create A Massive New Market. Retrieved from
http://www.businessinsider.com/wearable-devices-create-a-new-market-2013-8
Fitbit Blaze: Your guide to the new 'smart fitness watch' from Fitbit. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.wareable.com/fitbit/fitbit-blaze-specs-price-release-date-details-2121
Fox Business Video. http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4403377650001/fitbit-ceo-we-dont-target-
same-consumer-as-apple/?#sp=show-clips.
Overweight and Obesity Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-
information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx
Smartwatch or fitness tracker? Why age, sex matter. (2015, January 07). Retrieved from
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/01/07/smartwatch-or-fitness-tracker-why-age-sex-
matter.html
Statista. "Number of Gym Memberships in the US 2000-2014 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., 24 June
2014. Web. 09 May 2016.
Study Room – Business – Marketing – Analysing the market – Behavioural Segmentation. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.examstutor.com/business/resources/studyroom/marketing/mar
ket_analysis/9_behavioural_segemntation.php
Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fitbit.com/about

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