IJMR Lecture: Fusing database and survey data to create a fantastic ‘hybrid segmentation’ in the travel category

Attitudinal segmentations have been the go-to approach for market segmentation since the 1970s. But the data world has changed, and many companies now have rich databases at the centre of their marketing activities.

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This is bad news for survey based attitudinal segmentations – as they are often very difficult to apply to databases. Instead CRM teams typically rely on RFM and geodemographic segmentation models such as Mosaic and CACI. However, these often lack the insight into consumers motivations necessary for effective brand positioning and proposition development.

To get the best of both worlds you need hybrid segmentation: the fusion of attitudinal survey data with database variables relating to transactions and (geo)demographics. Successful hybrid segmentation development stems from a creatively designed research and analysis process, and in this case study we describe such an approach with direct reference to a recent segmentation for TUI - one of the world’s leading travel companies.

Speakers:

Dr. Leigh Morris CPsychol AFBPsS CSci CMRS is the Founder and Managing Director of Bonamy Finch, an Analytics and Insights agency based just outside London. He is also the Founder & Chairperson of the MRS Advanced Analytics Network. He came into market research from an academic background in social psychology, and has specialised in segmentation, brand equity and positioning, and applied multivariate statistics. Prior to starting Bonamy Finch, Leigh worked for the Unilever consumer psychology department, the international consumer insight division of T-Mobile, and the TNS marketing science centre.

Paul Jackson is Head of Advanced Analytics at Bonamy Finch, an analytically-driven insights agency. Having carried out well over 300 segmentations, Paul has seen the transition from what was just traditional attitudinal or needs based segmentations around 20 years ago, to the ever growing consideration for client databases and incorporation of multiple sources of data - utilising data from surveys, customer databases, transactions, website interactions, marketing engagement, as well as external sources such as Experian, Call Credit and TGI. Paul is pushing for the continued broadening of analyst roles to deliver beyond research and into the analysis and enrichment of clients customer data.

Kate Sargent is the General Manager Analytics and Insight for TUI UK & Ireland, leading the customer analytics and research activity across the TUI and First Choice brands for the past three years, most recently responsible for introducing their strategic customer segmentation.  Prior to that Kate headed up the Strategic Analytics team at Sky, where she was instrumental in demonstrating the value of their set-top box data and joining up the behavioural data with quantitative research data on viewing habits.  Before joining Sky, Kate also lead analytics and insight teams for Ocado, tesco.com and easyJet.