Market Directions CEO Susan Spaulding shared her expertise about marketing to the rural lifestyle consumer with an article in AgriMarketing magazine's March 2009 issue.
Spaulding's article, titled "Focus on Marketing to the Rural Lifestyler - Connecting with the Consumer," focuses on the findings of a new study conducted by Market Directions that examines the spectrum of resources that rural lifestylers use to make their brand choices and define their lifestyle. Market Directions is a brand marketing consultancy that specializes in agri-business.
"Rural lifestylers have a much smaller scale of needs and products than the traditional farmer," Spaulding said, "which positions marketers to expand their market opportunity without making lots of costly changes."
Aside from definining the differences between Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, the article details how rural lifestylers can be categorized in one of three ways - as the Informed Price Shopper, the Frustrated Hobbyist and the Casual Property Owner. Informed Price Shoppers do their homework and pay attention to brand names, Spaulding writes. The Frustrated Hobbyist also does product research but wants the retailer to educate them before they make a purchase. The Casual Property Owner don't want to research or be educated before they buy, and they make fewer purchases than the other two types.
Spaulding offers advice for reaching all three categories of rural lifestyle customers.
"These buyers are hungry for information, and they want help thinking through what they need to do and how to do it," Spaulding writes. "Connecting with them by being visible in the community, providing them with how-to knowledge, and being easy to find on the Web or through targeted media, is essential."
To read Spaulding's full article in AgriMarketing magazine, visit http://www.marketdirections.com/
