Foot Locker
Understanding the Basketball-Interested Consumer
Project: Landscape Analysis, Quantitative Research + Insights
Locations: London + Paris
Timeline: June 2023
The Context
Basketball is a global sport. However, the culture surrounding basketball shows up differently in various parts of the world than it does in the U.S.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics approaching, Foot Locker wanted to deepen its understanding of and relationship with basketball fans and consumers in London and Paris. Additionally, Foot Locker wanted a nuanced understanding of who the current Foot Locker consumer was, as well as the aspirational consumer who didn’t shop Foot Locker. So they asked… “Who is the basketball consumer outside the U.S. and how can Foot Locker reach them?”
The Problem
There was a gap in understanding how basketball culture showed up for fans and consumers in both London and Paris ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and how Foot Locker could position itself as a leader in this space.
The Solution
A clear, strategic roadmap for how the Foot Locker can authentically participate in basketball culture and connect with both core and aspirational consumers in Europe.
The Process
A landscape analysis was conducted across music, sneaker culture, and gaming to understand the broader cultural context shaping basketball fandom and consumer behavior. This exploration helped identify where fans and consumers sat within the evolving ecosystem of basketball culture. To complement these cultural insights, quantitative research was conducted through a survey of 1,600 respondents, including 800 basketball-interested consumers and 800 aspirational consumers affiliated with Foot Locker. The research focused on capturing both engaged and emerging audiences, providing a robust understanding of attitudes and opportunities within the basketball consumer landscape.
The Apertus
The research revealed that while significant work was already being done to support and grow basketball culture, much of it remained under-recognized by consumers. It also became clear that a more bespoke approach was needed; basketball audiences were not monolithic, and strategies that treated them as such risked missing the nuance between core and aspirational fans. Importantly, aspirational consumers themselves were not the issue but the way the brand was engaging them may not have fully resonated.
The findings also pointed to an opportunity to expand the cultural footprint of the game beyond the court, activating basketball through adjacent spaces like gaming, music, and lifestyle where fans already participated. At the same time, attempting to compete directly with category leaders like Nike on their terms would likely reinforce a second-place position; differentiation would require leaning into a distinct point of view within basketball culture.
Ultimately, while the research clarified who the audiences were, it highlighted a deeper need to understand why they engaged with the game and what emotional or cultural motivations truly drove their participation.