M. Fitzgerald et D. Arnott, UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHIC EFFECTS ON MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS IN SERVICES, International journal of service industry management, 7(3), 1996, pp. 31
Points out that research into the use of demographics as a segmentatio
n variable has waned in favour of other variables, noting that researc
h is sparse into links between membership of demographic segments and
perceptions and reactions to marketing communications. Describes how,
in many service sectors (e.g. airlines), the demographic profile of th
e consumer base has changed radically in recent years. Investigates di
fferences between the perceptions and responses of demographic and pro
duct usage segments to the marketing communications of airlines, and d
emonstrates several key differences. Concludes that the importance of
these segmentation bases appears to be undervalued in services, as fin
dings indicate that changes in gender, age, culture, usage frequency,
etc. affect perceptions of advertising, sales promotions and publicity
with consequent effects on purchase behaviour.