TO THE DEATH, BABY. AN EXPLORATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN EXTREME SPORTS

The present dissertation sets within the research stream examining emerging forms of consumption, specifically those requiring an extraordinary consumer commitment, which may have deep consequences in consumers’ everyday life that consumers are willing to accept anyway. Such emerging forms of consumption are sometimes triggering managerially relevant phenomena: in this sense, few businesses have witnessed an exponential growth like the one of extreme sports. Extreme sports have increasingly transformed into an industry made of huge international events, thousands of active consumers and brands worth millions. Extreme sports represent quite well an emerging kind of consumption in which an extraordinary commitment is required by active consumers-participants, spanning from physical and psychological sport training to potential consequences on everyday life (e.g., changes in dietary habits and lifestyle; risk of severe injuries). The inner characteristics of extreme sports active consumption, as well as its managerial relevance justify extreme sports as the research setting of the present dissertation, which combines insights from some psychological theories examining behavior of extreme individuals with marketing and consumer behavior literature, to provide a comprehensive framework on consumer behavior related to these extreme situations. The managerial relevance of this dissertation is supported by the scope of the managerially relevant outcomes it examines, ranging from: levers of increased consumer spending, advertising-related perceptions, and event revisit intentions.