The document provides an executive summary and marketing strategy recommendations for the San Diego Gulls aimed at the climbing subculture in San Diego. Through interviews, surveys and observations of climbers at Mesa Rim climbing gym, the researchers identified two main themes in the climbing subculture: community and environmental concern. They propose two promotional strategies for the Gulls targeting these themes: 1) offering a reusable cup that provides discounted beers to encourage repeat visits while reducing waste, and 2) offering free guest passes to Mesa Rim with the purchase of group tickets to appeal to the strong community bonds between climbers. Research including a t-test analysis of survey responses supported the conclusion that climbers would be likely to attend sporting events together. An appendix provides details on

1. Mikala Price
Anna Kalfayan
Mackenzie Magrath
Lily Ingrassia
Violette Peoples
Executive Summary
This presentation observed and analyzed the subculture of climbers, specifically in the
San Diego area, in order to produce a marketing strategy for The San Diego Gulls. We collected
data through interviews, a survey, and observation of climbers at Mesa Rim. To become
immersed in this culture we questioned participants about climbing values, additional activities
they participate in, reasons they like to climb, as well as other in-depth questions to learn about
an average day for a climber. The data we accumulated showed that the climbing subculture has
a specific core of values shared throughout the group. A few of these core values are acceptance,
sustainability, friendship, and nature. Through these values and our research we came to the
conclusion of two main themes within the subculture. The first theme is community, this was
portrayed through values within the subculture in the friendships they have as well as the support
we saw when watching people climb at Mesa Rim. The second theme identified was
environmental concern. This was determined through the survey responses, which pointed to one
of the main aspects people like about the climbing community: awareness of what is going on in
the environment as well as living a sustainable life. We discovered this not only through the
answers we received, but also through the observations we made based off of clothing,
We feel that climbers are a specific subculture of interest for the San Diego Gulls as they
have a very strong set of values.These values and themes can be used to help target and promote
group sales for the San Diego Gulls. Through our research, we have discovered the specific
themes of community and environmental concern within the culture that are useful to look at
when considering potential promotional strategies for the Gulls. Our first promotional strategy is
to provide the option to buy a reusable Gulls cup, and with this purchase you can get a beer for
three dollars anytime you bring the cup back to a Gulls game. This promotional strategy targets
the climbers concern with the environment along with reducing waste from each game. In
addition, the climbers are reminded of the Gulls every time they use the cup at home, which
would ideally encourage them to attend other games as well. The second strategy we propose to
attract climbers to attend a Gulls game is to offer 3 free guest passes to Mesa Rim with the
purchase of group tickets for the Gulls game. This strategy is based on data collected and
conclusions drawn from the survey and the in-depth interviews. For the question in our survey,
we decided to gather further quantitative research and conduct a one tailed t-test on SPSS. In our
survey, we asked “Would you go to sporting events with your climbing friends?” and had
response codes: yes (code 1), no (code 3), and maybe (code 2). Our null hypothesis was that
respondents wouldn’t attend sporting events with climbing friends and our alternate hypothesis
was that respondents would attend sporting events together. By the end of the survey we
gathered that the sample size was 38, the mean was 1.39, the p value was 0.000, and the t value
was -5.686. At a 95% confidence level, we can reject the null hypothesis because p is less than
0.05. And since the mean is 1.39, we can conclude that respondents would attend sporting events
together. We thought producing this data was important in reinforcing our promotional
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2. strategies. In our survey and in-depth interviews, we noticed the theme of community within the
climbing culture; since they are such a tight knit community, climbers are more likely to go and
enjoy a game with each other. Climbers also love to share their passion and bring new people
into their community. Therefore, with the opportunity to get free guest passes for other friends, it
provides even more of an incentive to purchase Gulls tickets. Obviously, this promotional
strategy would be contingent on the participation and support of the Mesa Rim Climbing Gym.
However, we feel that as supportive as the climbing community is and the fact that this
promotion would also create more business for Mesa Rim, that it is a reasonable option.
We have provided an appendix of our observations, survey, and overall research on the
climbing subculture. We feel that this is a particularly interesting subculture of people that could
be very beneficial to target in future promotions for the San Diego Gulls.
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3. Appendix
One Sample T-test:
Survey Results:
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10. Photos from Mesa Rim
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11. Field Notes
● Staff all young and very friendly- mentioned that if we had any questions to just ask the
people around us because they are all very open/ friendly/ willing to help
● Majority was people under the age of 30
● Everyone cheered/ tried to help guide the people climbing
○ Very supportive group
● While people are climbing, everyone else who is waiting is sitting around center area
talking to each other
● Climbers seem to have a strong sense of community
○ Huge community type area- tables for sitting and doing work/studying/hanging
out, ping-pong tables
○ Store with snacks and climbing gear
○ Gym/ yoga workout areas
○ Two climbing options: bouldering or climbing with harness (have to be certified
to climb with harness)
○ Make friends at climbing gym
○ Spend time together outside of gym, lunches/ dinners together, camping trips,
improv nights etc
● Very environmentally oriented
○ Reusable water bottles
○ Interest in environmentally aware brands: Patagonia, REI
● Met at UC’s before to carpool together
● Located in a corporate area
● Generous in letting us borrow climbing shoes
● $17 for a day pass
● New facility
● Climbers had bags of chalk to more easily grip the rocks
● Mesa Rim is more than a place to climb
● Features 2 types of climbing (Bouldering, top-rope climbing, and lead climbing)
● Offer training session of top-rope and lead climbing
● Clothing and equipment store located in front
● Crowded (100 people)
● Shower and locker facilities
● Offer youth programs
● Members are willing to offer explanations of strategies to climb different walls
● Rocks are differentiated by color and difficulty level
● Types of people: group of friends (climbing team), couples, solo climbers
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12. ● Seemed like a post-work/school activity
● People are respectful of distance between climbs
● Heard many words of encouragement as friends were climbing
● Would take breaks in between climbs, so as to not wear out muscles
● Lasted about 2 hours
● Patterns of rocks change
Question Ideas
- How did you get into climbing?
- What about climbing attracts you?
- What are the top things you must know in order to climb
- Describe a typical day(and climbing session)step by step for you
- What other tasks/activities are enjoyable for you?
- Tell me about your experience within the climbing culture
- Can you describe the type of people within the climbing culture
- What objects are necessary to successfully climb?
- What are other places you frequent besides the climbing gym
- Are there certain values you hold that you believe to have come from being apart of the
climbing culture? Or values everyone within the culture shares
- What is important to you?
- What are your typical meals?
- Can you describe how you feel when climbing
- What has been your favorite climbing experience
- If you were to refer a friend to climb what would you say to try and get them to join you
In-Depth Interview with Shannon Kuzmick
- How she got into climbing: Alcala bazaar; people were super goofy and nice- two still
consistently go out of like 5~ senior since
- frequency: Once a week- and when she
- why she joined: Try new things, but the culture of the people; the upperclassmen seemed
cool
- How do u feel while climbing- empowering, scary overcome fears, feel strong~ there might
be a route you couldn’t climb in the beginning but 2 weeks later you can climb, mentally healthy
- Climbing vs campus; sense of “rebel weirdos” stand out from typical usd pride in being
different- rebellion against the USD norm
- If you tried to get a friend to join what would you say- really cool unique experience (afraid
of heights?) not an everyday activity; climbers in general very genuine-laid back- don’t care in
the best way- just want to hangout and have a good time
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13. - Shared values- appreciation for nature and the outdoors, all okay with living less straight
and narrow life- on the fly- against the grain- not 9 to 5, strive to not be 9-5
- Other activities- in kappa delta, likes to run, like to read, like to cook(vegetable)snowboard
- Necessities- outdoors very mental, scarier outdoors, know what you’re getting yourself into;
physically muscle strength- using climb properly uses different muscles bc you don’t always just
use your arms.
In-Depth Interview w/ Beau Skalley
How did you start climbing?
-I started climbing after I got interested in the outdoors and stumbled upon videos of climbers in
incredible mountain ranges. I wanted to go to those places and experience what they were.
How often do you climb?
-I climb about 3-4 times a week usually.
Why did you join?
-I joined the climbing team because I wanted to be part of a community of climbers and have
climbing partners.
How does climbing make you feel?
-Climbing clears my mind and allows me to focus completely on the task at hand which is
freeing and rewarding.
What makes this group so special to you?
-Only climbers truly understand climbing so it’s really fun to bond over a passion for an activity
we all care about.
What would you say to someone who wants to join the climbing club?
-I would definitely encourage that person to come try it and join the club, cause it’s awesome.
How has this influenced your values? (ex: environmental concerns) Are these values shared
amongst the group?
-Climbing has exposed me to really incredible natural places which has elicited a deep respect
and responsibility to take care of and preserve the natural state of the environment. Additionally,
It puts into perspective everyday challenges and has created a specific style and approach to
overcoming problems in my life.
What other activities/organizations are you involved in?
I like to snow ski, water ski and am involved in greek life and university ministry
Do you guys hang out outside of climbing? What do you all do? Yes, just hang out
Would you guys attend sporting events together? Yes
Where do you buy climbing gear? I buy all my gear from specialized gear shops, online stores
like black diamond, and rei
In-depth Interview Hannah Stoever:
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14. What does the climbing team do on a daily/weekly basis? (average day, study, trips, etc)
● Joshua Tree trip at least once a semester
● Weekly lunches with team at SLP or paloma
● Mesa Rim has a study area where climbers often do their homework before/after a climb
Would you attend a sporting event together?
● Yes, we are always looking for different events to attend together for team bonding and
building our sense of community
What is important to you? (the environment, etc.)
● We really focus on the bonds we make while being a part of the climbing team
● Sustainability is important to us; a lot of us go on trips to Joshua Tree and spend a lot of
time outside climbing so the protection of our environment is important to us
● We are extremely fun loving, we have Karaoke nights, we meet about once a week for
team lunches at the SLP or La Paloma → Value camaraderie
Where do you buy your climbing gear?
● REI
What about climbing attracts you?
● I love how it is an individual sport but we are able to support each other as a community
● See it as problem solving, being able to conquer a wall brings sense of achievement
● I believe it is competitive but only with yourself
● Relaxed environment
Can you describe the climbing team culture?
● We are one of the most accepting groups on campus, we love when new people are
interested in joining
● Very outgoing group of people who genuinely just enjoy spending time together
● Love having fun!
● Hard working group of people school wise
● A lot of members are also involved in a lot of different things on campus (ultimate
frisbee, etc)
Can you describe how you feel while climbing?
● Relaxed, but focused
● Happy
● Free
● Challenged
If you were to refer a friend to climb what would you say to try and get them to join you?
● Great place if you are interested in meeting new people and just having a good time
● Very genuine people
● Inclusive environment
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