Essay Sample on How Each Segment Interacts With Digital and Traditional Media

18-24 years old

People between the ages of 18-24 are mostly college and university students or young adults who have just landed in their first job. Before attaining the age of 18, an adolescent cannot make decisions without involving their parents or guardians. Most outdoor adventures for teenagers often include the whole family or peers if an institution organizes the event. Therefore, the desire for freedom and trying out new experiences makes the market segment ideal for Acadia Park Equipment Company. Adults in this market segment have intense cravings for exploring the world and adrenaline-stimulating exercises. In addition to exploring desire, most of them are in their first relationships, and they often yearn for maximum time away from everyone else.

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Some of the most common exercises for this market segment are mountain climbing, ice skating, and hiking. The outdoor activities often involve large groups of individuals divided into couples. Most places with these activities have limited camping space and harsh environmental conditions hence the need for high-quality outdoor tents. Depending on whether the population intends to undertake the adventure as a couple or with friends, the market segment requires freedom, class, comfort, high-quality products but at low prices. Therefore, the company should ensure that the products can effectively serve the need and meets the standards and prices for this market segment. Most people at this age hate carrying luggage, and the lighter the tent is for them, the higher is the chances of carrying it.

25-34 years old

This market segment consists of graduates, newlyweds, or young couples who are still at the honeymoon stage. The section also includes employed individuals at the initial stages of creating social groups. The risk-taking propensity for this group is substantially lower since most of them have young families. This population requires spending time together with their spouses away from the norms. Therefore, they strive to enjoy their moments together as a couple without a constant reminder of their responsibilities. The activities of this segment revolve around couples hikes, retreats, or group bonding activities. They value safety, space, quality but also operate at low budgets since they are still saving for their future.

35 and older

This market segment consists of less adventurous individuals, and most purchasers in this market segment buy the tents as gifts. However, not every individual purchasing the products intends to gift it to others. The population often attributes prices with quality. Therefore, the higher the costs, the more the perceived product quality and the higher the chances of buying. The group is more traditional, and they adapt slowly to changes as compared with the other segments. They value quality and prestige, classy packaging materials for gifts, and most of them associate outdoor tents with luxury. Therefore they are willing to pay higher prices for the products.

How Each Segment Interacts With Digital and Traditional Media

18-24 years old

This market segment comprises of millennials and Generation Z who are well-conversant with digital platforms (Hussein, 2017). They often consider traditional media as outdated, and they rarely use it. The population adapts faster to new technology, and the company should keep up with their pace to avoid losing the market. People between the age of 18 and 24 are crucial in marketing as they share all their experiences online. Therefore, if they are satisfied with the services offered and the quality of the product, they are likely to mention it hence attracting more customers. Acadia Park Equipment Company should employ exclusively digital media when dealing with this population.

25-34 years old

People aged between 25 and 34 combine both traditional media and digital technologies. It is common to find this group sending and receiving emails via the post office and emails and also interacting through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, among other media platforms. Therefore, combining both traditional and digital media would work effectively for this group.

35 and older

Most people above the age of 35 are slow adapters to technology. They often cling to the older ways of doing things and rarely trust new digital media. The population prefers the use of traditional media rather than digital, and therefore employing new technology in this segment may lead to market failure.

How Each Segment Will Use the Two Person Camping Tent and Distribution Channels

18-24 years old

This population is likely to use the product in group adventures involving their peers, such as hiking, mountain climbing, among others. Although the tents are for two, it is possible to find the population exceeding the maximum number. Direct distribution is the most common of marketing where the customers buy from the manufactures via the internet (SivaKumar & Gunasekaran, 2017). Therefore, the company should create online marketing platforms comprising of images and specifications of the product and delivery agents to avail the products to the customers. According to Hidvegi and Kelemen (2016), a research on the youths digital trading indicated that more than 70% prefer to deal with the manufactures through direct distribution citing lower prices and delivery efficiency as the primary reason

25-34 years old

This population is likely to purchase the product during summer holidays for retreats and hiking. Most people in this market segment combines both online and retail purchasing. The community in this segment is conversant with internet buying, but some still prefer buying from wholesalers and retailers. According to Yun et al. (2019), the group comprises of people who do not trust online products. They prefer dealing with dealers who can explain to them how the product is used, and in case of a problem, they can approach them. The segment cites the risk of receiving an incorrect product ordered online as the main as a reason against direct distribution and high cost in intermediaries for their mixed reaction.

35 and older

People above the age of 35 are likely to purchase the tents before the summer holiday mostly as gifts or as they prepare for summer vacations. According to Camiller (2018), people above the age of 35 fall in generation Y, which comprises of more traditional buyers. The market segment prefers indirect distribution, which includes wholesalers and retailers. An intermediary link the manufacturer with the clients and thereby offers after-sale services. Loyalty in marketing is paramount for this generation, and thus they have established relations with local dealers (Aspinall et al., 2001). Generation Y acknowledges the use of technology but refrains from its use in purchasing. Therefore, the company should utilize indirect distribution channels.

Logical Method of Communicating to Each Segment

18-24 years old

The most appropriate mode of messaging this population is social media platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among others. The tone should be energetic and friendly, and the message should incorporate the newest offers, promotions, and suggestions on where to take the nest adventure. Millennial and Generation Z are often glued to their social media pages, and therefore communicating to them is easier.

25-34 years old

People in this age bracket are used to formal communication channels, and therefore, in addition to social media, emails may also be appropriate. The tone should be wholesome and informative, and the message should comprise of price cuts, quality of the products, and the available offers.

35 and older

This age group consists of more traditional individuals. Therefore, communication with them should be done via emails, telephones, newspapers, and other official channels. The tone should be friendly and kind as they easily detect inconsistencies and may fail to buy from the company. The message should comprise of all the material facts about the product and where to get help in case of any concern.

Method for Measuring the Success of Each Distribution and Communication

The success of the distribution channel can be measured by analyzing the number of customers who order their products online, and purchase from retailers, or wholesalers. For social media communications such as Facebook and Instagram, success can be measured by checking the likes and comments under the company's posts. For Twitter, the marketing teams may analyze the retweets, likes, and comments, and for the email, the acknowledgment reports. Other official communications, such as newspapers, can only be measured using the customer's feedback.

References

Aspinall, E., Nancarrow, C., & Stone, M. (2001). The meaning and measurement of customer retention. Journal of Targeting, Measurement, and Analysis for Marketing, 10(1), 79-87.https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Aspinall%2C+E.%2C+Nancarrow%2C+C.%2C+%26+Stone%2C+M.+%282001%29.+The+meaning+and+measurement+of+customer+retention.+Journal+of+Targeting%2C+Measurement+and+Analysis+for+Marketing%2C+10%281%29%2C+79-87.&btnG=

Camilleri, M. A. (2018). Market segmentation, targeting, and positioning. In Travel marketing, tourism economics, and the airline product (pp. 69-83). Springer, Cham. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/21433/5/Market%20Segmentation%20Targeting%20and%20Positioning.pdf

Hidvégi, A., & Kelemen-Erdos, A. (2016). Assessing the online purchasing decisions of Generation Z. In Proceedings of FIKUSZ Symposium for Young Researchers (p. 173). Óbuda University Keleti Károly Faculty of Economics. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Hidv%C3%A9gi%2C+A.%2C+%26+Kelemen-Erd%C5%91s%2C+A.+%282016%29.+Assessing+the+online+purchasing+decisions+of+generation+z.+In+Proceedings+of+FIKUSZ+Symposium+for+Young+Researchers+%28p.+173%29.+%C3%93buda+University+Keleti+K%C3%A1roly+Faculty+of+Economics.+&btnG=

Hussain, E. (2017). Exploration of entrepreneurial marketing orientation model among SMEs in Oman.https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Hussain%2C+E.+%282017%29.+Exploration+of+entrepreneurial+marketting+orientation+model+among+SMEs+in+oman.+&btnG=

Siva Kumar, A., & Gunasekaran, A. (2017). An empirical study of the factors affecting the online shopping behavior of millennial consumers. Journal of Internet Commerce, 16(3), 219-230.https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=SivaKumar%2C+A.%2C+%26+Gunasekaran%2C+A.+%282017%29.+An+empirical+study+on+the+factors+affecting+online+shopping+behavior+of+millennial+consumers.+Journal+of+Internet+Commerce%2C+16%283%29%2C+219-230.&btnG=

Yun, Y., Chuluunsukh, A., & Gen, M. (2019, August). Design and implementation of a sustainable supply chain model with various distribution channels. International Conference on Management Science and Engineering Management (pp. 469-482). Springer, Cham. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Yun%2C+Y.%2C+Chuluunsukh%2C+A.%2C+%26+Gen%2C+M.+%282019%2C+August%29.+Design+and+implementation+of+sustainable+supply+chain+model+with+various+distribution+channels.+In+International+Conference+on+Management+Science+and+Engineering+Management+%28pp.+469-482%29.+Springer%2C+Cham.&btnG=