Background and Introduction
Exercise is a crucial undertaking that enhances our health. In order to achieve health benefits, many people desire to engage in exercise. However, they are overcome by laziness. People working out at the gym need something to motivate them in order to continue with the exercise. According to Barwood et al. (2011), the prospect of going to gym and completing work out can be very intimidation. There is thus the need for something or someone to act as the motivator for the exercise. An example of the motivator is music. There are many studies that have investigated the role of music in relation to exercise.
A study conducted by Karageorghis et al. (2009) found that music plays an imperative role in enhancing repetitive endurance. Music elevates the exercise mood and increases the body’s endurance. In addition, Simpson and Karageorghis (2006) noted that music reduces the perceived effort during the exercise and thus plays a critical role in enabling an individual to continue with the exercise. Music also evokes emotions and can be applied to ignite the motivation to start the physical exercise. However, not all music can result in motivation. This implies that there is the need for particular types of music to guarantee the feeling and the motivation to exercise.
The Function and Uses of the Innovation
The interplay of music and exercise can be traced back to 1911. An American researcher, Leonard Ayres discovered that cyclists pedaled faster while a band was playing than when it was silent (MacDougall & Moore 2005). The discovery was related to the effect evoked by the music in making an individual want to boogie to the rhythm. The functional usage of the type of music is to encourage many people to exercise and make the exercise facilities such as gyms attract more people. The innovation will promote the health of the people attracted to exercise facilities and secondly, it will create more business for gyms.
According to Karageorghis and Priest (2012), aerobic dance music increases the feeling of vigour. Hayakawa et al. (2000) carried out a study to assess the effects of traditional Japanese folk music during an aerobic dance. The findings indicated that the music reduced the feeling of fatigue. Nakamura et al. (2010) noted that music can release psychological queues that prepare an individual for the exercise. Nakamura et al. (2010) compared music to the way people salivate when they are invited for their favourite dinner. Similarly, the sound of music that is associated to exercise psychologically prepares the mind and body for the exercise. Therefore, the music invention will be used as a motivational tool for exercise. It will wire the humans to respond to it by psychologically thinking about the exercise and its benefits. Thus, the innovation will encourage people to engage in exercise.
The Importance of the Innovation to the Sport and Related Industry
The sports industry presents a great potential for business growth. Across the globe, the sports industry is estimated to be worth over 350 billion Euros and presents a great potential for economic growth. In many developed countries, the sports industry has expanded and there are forecasts that the trend of growth will continue. The projected growth point that the sportsmen and women will require fitness centres that will aid them in the training and staying physically fit. Therefore, the invention will serve as a catalyst for the sports industry. According to Schwartz, Fernhall and Plowman (2010), healthy and physically fit individuals have the confidence to join sports. An invention that attracts many people to the gyms will certainly increase sports activities and hence promote the growth of the sports industry.
Over the past three decades, there have been steady increases in lifestyle diseases. For instance, the prevalence of obesity has gone up. The lifestyle diseases are caused by sedentary lifestyles and the fast foods that characterise today’s fast-paced economies. The levels of physical activities have changed (Karageorghis & Priest 2012). As a result, there have been increased campaigns by the health professionals to increase the physical activities. Thus, the invention supplements the campaigns by providing a motivator that will attract more people to engage in exercise. The implications are that more people will be living healthier lifestyles. In addition, the invention will lead to reduction in the health burden in hospitals. The health burden is caused by morbidity associated with reduced physical exercise.
Potential Markets
Recent researches have pointed to the tremendous growth in the sports industry. This has led to an increase in sports facilities across the globe. According to Amuah (2013), inventions that provide unique solutions to real problems have the ability to penetrate the target market. Inadequate exercise is a problem that affects many people across the globe. In addition, the exercise facilities have increased tremendously to capture the many people who need to exercise. This has changed the business environment for sports related inventions. Therefore, sports facilities will embrace inventions that give them a competitive edge.
The complex business environment has many players that include clubs, agencies, federations and sports sponsors. The potential market for the music will include both the domestic and the international markets. The domestic markets include the individuals, sports training facilities and gyms. In the modern world, people who have no time to attend to gyms conduct their exercise at home setting. These individuals present a viable market for the invention as they will require the music to encourage and keep them working. In an endeavour to compete favourably in the sports field, many clubs and sports agencies require products that help their sports personnel to increase physical fitness. Thus, the clubs will need the music to encourage the sports people to train. In addition, exercise activities are not limited to domestic markets. The need for exercise transcends the international markets. There are many factors that affect the potential markets. SWOT and PESTLE are analyses of some of the factors.
SWOT table
PESTLE
The Users of the Invention
As noted by Copeland and Franks (2011) exercise has become a priority for individuals, organisations and governments. Many people have made resolutions to stay healthy and physically fit. The innovation thus presents a right companion for the people to get motivated and exercise. Thus, the first target consumers will be the individual persons. In the competitive sports field, there are many organisations and agencies that need to train athletes. Therefore, the sports organisations and agencies will be the users of the product. The music will boost the morale of the agencies’ members to exercise without a lot of coercion from the trainers. The category of users will also encompass the private gyms, companies, and sports agencies.
The other important buyer for the music will be the government. In the contemporary society, there have been increases in lifestyle diseases. The increase has been attributed to reduced physical exercise. This places a lot of financial burden on the governments that have to invest in health care facilities to treat the diseases. Governments have been advocating for exercises. As a result, there are many public social centres and sports fields set aside by the governments in order to encourage people to exercise. In order to attract more people to the centres for the exercises, the government can buy the music. Therefore, the sports departments in the government will be target customers for the product. Thus, the music will also be marketed to international sports agencies, and gyms.
The Innovation
Van der Vlist, Bartneck and Mäueler (2011) stipulated that music is a fantastic motivator. Music makes the individuals’ emotions to respond to the exercise. However, it is worth noting that different people are attracted to different types of music. There are people who like loud music while others require fast music. The music innovation application will be designed to include the different types of the beats that for the target consumers. However, the lyrics will remain to be the same. This implies that different genres of music will be part of the innovation. The following is the diagrammatic representation of the innovation.
The music genres will be synchronised to the beat and the lyrics. This will ensure that every person can identify with the music. In addition, the invention will be available in categories that suit the targets customers. Therefore, there will be music that can be directly downloaded by the customers, music application for the smartphones with the Android technology and iTunes and iPods for the Apple related smartphones. There will be an interface for corporate bodies and companies and an interface for the individuals.
Strategies to Commercialise the Innovation
Online
The process of entering a product to a market requires strategies that will ensure that the product gains the intended market share (Arnold 2003). According to Armstrong and Kotler (2005) a market strategy entails the plans laid down by a company to deliver goods or services to the intended customers.
In the contemporary society, many businesses have adopted technologies to advance their operations (Kotler & Gary 2006). One of the key strategies that will be used to commercialise the invention will be through online selling. Pickton and Broderick (2011) stated that selling products online provides a business with the ability to reach many customers. The online is a virtual place and hence does not restrict the geographical reach of the business.
Therefore, in order to reach the potential buyers an online platform for marketing and selling the exercise music will be created. A research conducted by Ryan and Jones (2009) found that both in developing and developed countries, there has been an increase in the number of people visiting online stores to buy goods. An example of a business that has applied the strategy and recorded remarkable growth is the Amzon.com. The platform will be designed to allow an interface in which the customers can login in and shop for the music.
Partnership with Gym Companies
Global market success is determined by the acceptance of the product by major players (Jeannet & Hennessey 2004). According to Larsen (2010), the acceptance is the first step in commercialising a new product. Partnerships with companies that are already involved in exercise business will play a crucial role. This will include partnering with entities that are legally incorporated. For instance, the leading gym companies will serve as key entry point for the product. The gyms have been operating in the market and have a substantial customer base. The partnerships will be designed to ensure that there is mutual benefit between the business entities. This will entail a joint venture in which the invention will be availed to the selected gyms for use during their routine programmes.
The commercialisation strategy will be based on an extensive market research to determine the viable model for the partnerships. Examples of the companies to target for the partnership will include the Fitness First and Jetts. These are leading gym companies with an international presence. For instance, Fitness First is operates in over 16 countries and boasts of over 370 clubs. Thus, the partnership with the company will ensure that the invention reaches many people.
Partnership with Apple (iTunes and iPod)
Many people have embraced smartphones. In order to have a substantial market share, the product will also target the owners of smartphones. A leading manufacturer and market leader in the smartphones is Apple Inc. The technological developments in communication devices have become necessary for any person who wants to stay relevant to current trends in the world, both at personal and corporate activities (Kotler & Kelly 2008). In order to reach the customer base, the music will be designed as an application that is compatible with Apple’s technology of iTunes and iPods. The business will partner with Apple as a strategic measure to reach many customers.
Apple Inc. has been very passionate about music. As a result, there are many customers attracted to its products due to the music component. The partnership with the company will provide a platform for any Apple product buyer to access the innovation. This will ensure that the customers purchasing Apple’s products access the music. Thus, they will listen to the music and resonate with it by exercising. This strategic partnership will also increase the competitive edge for Apple as more buyers will be attracted to the innovation.
Selling the Idea
There are various ways in which an individual can benefit from an invention. The various methods include licensing the usage rights, developing the product or selling patent rights. Selling the idea entails licensing the invention and giving the patent rights to another company to develop the idea. The strategy is normally viable in case the inventor has no capacity to develop the invention. The selling of the idea eliminates the time and effort required to open and operate a business. Thus, transfer of patent rights presents a viable strategy that could be applied to monetize the intellectual property (Kotler & Kelly 2008). Therefore, this will be another strategy to commercialise the innovation. It will involve transferring the patentable rights to the company that intends to develop the idea. The implication for this strategy is that inventor gives up the profits and proceeds that pertain to the innovation.
Conclusion
Music encourages people to keep working out. This is achieved by reducing the destructions that hinder individuals to concentrate on the exercise. The music innovation will serve as a starter. It will motivate the target customers to move out of their comfort zones and start or continue with the physical exercise. The special music will compete with the body’s physiological activities in order to attain the attention of the brain. It is worth noting that exercise is tiresome and boring. The repeat nature of daily exercise creates negative feeling that lead to many people abandoning the exercise routine. Therefore, the music will play the role of overriding the physical feelings of boredom and exhaustion.
The special innovation of music is meant to encourage people to exercise. It will act as a companion and the motivator. The music will be customised to align with the tastes of diverse consumers. The key target markets will include individuals, corporate bodies and the government institutions. Various strategies such as strategic partnerships and online selling will be used to commercialise the inventions. The invention will thus be critical in promoting the health and will also revolutionalise the business prospects for the various gym companies and sports agencies.
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