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Intensity of collective consumption practices in brand communities: the case of crossfit

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Abstract

Building on practice theory and brand community literature, the aim of this article is to (1) identify the nature of intensity of collective consumption practices and (2) understand how intensity of consumption practices interplays with consumer’s relations to the self, the community, and the brand in a collective branded setting. The Crossfit brand is used as a context in this article because of its inherently intense nature and communal consumption settings. Twenty-one Crossfitters from North America and Europe were interviewed to understand their collective consumption practices of the brand. The results show that intensity of collective consumption practices consists of four dimensions: complexity, frequency, length and focus. Intensity is essential to the nature and maintenance of the relationships consumers keep with themselves, the community and the brand, and shapes them in many ways. While intensity is key to the way consumption practices exist, intensity is also highly personal, context-dependent and subject to interpretations and changes, which can even put the brand at risk. In a society where intensity is increasingly sought after by individuals and used as a differentiator by brands, we propose a first conceptualisation of the concept. This article also offers keys to managers to tap into the mechanisms of intense collective consumption practices for their brand.

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Notes

  1. Crossfit jargon for «Workout Of the Day», a sequence of movements and rules representing the daily practice.

  2. The name for Crossfit gyms.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Patrick Barbosa de Sousa for his help in elaborating the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HEC Liège, Management School of the University of Liège, 14, Rue Louvrex, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Laurence Dessart

  2. KEDGE Business School, Talence, France

    Grégory Bressolles

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  1. Laurence Dessart
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Correspondence to Laurence Dessart.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Interview guide


Name:

Gender:

Age:

Nationality:

Crossfit Box (city):

Date started Crossfit:


For Box owners and coaches only

  • When did you start doing Crossfit (before coaching/be a box owner)? Why?

  • What made you want to become a coach/box owner?

  • Which benefits do you get from this activity?

  • Would you stop coaching Crossfit?

  • What do you think about your customers/members?

  1. 1.

    Story of your personal experience with Crossfit

    • The beginnings (when, motivation, context, ...).

    • When did you start Crossfit?

    • What motivated you to start?

  2. 2.

    Personal definition of Crossfit: For you, what is Crossfit?

    • What do you know about the history of Crossfit?

    • Crossfit: between sport and brand: what does the Crossfit brand represent for you?

    Prompt about intensity if missed out

    • How would you define Crossfit to someone who does not know it?

    Prompt about intensity if missed out

    • What are the values (positive / negative) that you associate with Crossfit?

    • According to you, in what Crossfit is different from other sports or similar activities? Why?

    • How do you think Crossfit has evolved over time? In a positive way? Negative way?

  3. 3.

    Your personal practice of Crossfit

    • What makes Crossfit special for you?

    • What does Crossfit mean to you?

    • Is it important for you? Why?

    • Do you have a particular goal when doing Crossfit? How does Crossfit help you achieving that?

    • Does the intensity of WODs matter to you?

  4. 4.

    The Impact of Crossfit

    • Do you think Crossfit impacts aspects of your life in particular? Which ones? how?

    • The food you eat / your nutrition program

    • The relation to oneself (body, mind, clothes, …)

      • How do you feel in your body with Crossfit?

      • How do you feel in your head with the Crossfit?

    • The relationship to others

    • Your work

    • How do you feel when you're not doing Crossfit?

    • Is there anything you like less about Crossfit? Something you would change if you could?

    • Has your opinion of Crossfit changed from the beginning? How? Why?

  5. 5.

    Your place in the "Crossfit" community?

    • What do you think of other members of your box?

    • Have you made friends with other members of your box?

    • What is your role in your box? among the other people who do Crossfit with you (help, …)?

    • Is there a particular “profile” for doing Crossfit in your box?

    • How do you feel about the other members of your box when you practice Crossfit?

    • What do you think of other “Crossfitters” in the world?

  6. 6.

    Sacrifices to practice Crossfit

    • For you, does practicing Crossfit represent a financial sacrifice (subscription to the Box, clothes, food, proteins and other substitutes, ...)?

    • Do you experience sacrifices in terms of time (time to go to the Box, compared to family life, compared to other activities / sports?)?

    • Any other sacrifices

  7. 7.

    Negative aspects related to Crossfit

    • Do you perceive negative aspects in relation to Crossfit?

    Prompt: Bad image, risk of injury …

  8. 8.

    Cultural / international aspect

    • Have you ever trained in another box than yours? If so, in the same city? the same country?

    • What are the main differences that you have been able to identify across boxes/countries/cities?

Appendix 2: Coding Sample

figure a

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Dessart, L., Bressolles, G. Intensity of collective consumption practices in brand communities: the case of crossfit. J Brand Manag 30, 227–244 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-022-00298-2

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