4WD SelfDrive Tourism

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Segmenting 4WD Tourism MarketsAndrew Taylor
(BA, GCertMgt, MBus) and Bruce Prideaux (BEc
(Soc Sc), BA, M.Ec, PhD )
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Why Segment?
For the Business or Destination
For the Consumer

• Group like customers
• Position marketing strategies
• Position products
• Develop new products
• Collaborate according to markets targeted

• Understand motivations
• Deliver on expectations
• Encourage repeat visits

Complex for 4WDers whats a 4WD?, whats a 4WD
trip?, what is the experience and motivation?
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How?

• Undertake consumer research on geographic,
  demographic, psychographic or a combination of
  attributes
• Use research findings to look for like
  characteristics
• Motivations
• Behaviors and/or preferences
• Trip environments, trip lengths, trip frequencies
• Planning strategies
• Safety and information sources
• Describe and test the strength of these
• Identify and compare segments

Raw data
Knowledge of segments
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What?
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So?
Activity Seekers
Explorer Travellers
Adventure-thrill Seekers
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Segment Attributes

• Explorer Travellers
• Relatively infrequent and extended trips
• Emphasis on desert and outback areas
• Trips are mostly with friends, relatives or club
  members to places decided by the group or new
  trips and places.
• Above the median age.
• Motivated by getting away, socialising and
  personal discovery.
•  
• Activity Seekers
• Utilise a 4WD vehicle primarily for its ability
  to get them to activity places (eg fishing)
• Tend to repeat visits to destinations and take
  relatively short trips.
• Motivated primarily by the desire to undertake
  the activity.
•  
• Adventure-thrill Seekers
• Relatively frequent and short excursions to
  nearby environments
• Seeking challenging experiences to test the
  capability of the vehicle and the skills of the
  driver and passengers.
• Modifying the vehicle is considered relatively
  important.
• Primarily motivated by the challenges associated
  with the interaction of terrain and vehicle and
  opportunity to apply their skills.

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Findings
But..- Location based - Hard rules used to
segment - Another segment likely (A to B
travellers eg to Birdsville races)
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Desert Implications
Desert businesses and communities must manage
impacts, maximise economic benefits, provide
experiences and develop products according to
visiting and target segments.
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Desert Implications