Thread dedicated to getting the message of NL Nature heard by as many people as possible. NL Nature is a non-profitable venue, yet when it comes to marketing, it follows the same rules as a typical for-profit business.

The three major steps of NL Nature marketing are:

• segmentation (who do we appeal to?)
  
• targeting (which of the groups is our primary focus?)
  
• positioning (how do we want to be seen by our target group?)
  

If you have any suggestions, or would like to help market our project, please post below....

NL Nature's target audience includes:

• Nature loves, nature activists
• University students studying biology, ecology, geography, Newfoundland studies (MUN and other schools)
  
• Academia in the related fields
• Nature and wildlife professionals
• Nature societies
• High school students interested in wildlife
• Newfoundland tourists
• Government of NL and Government of Canada
• International wildlife societies
  

Group: TOURISTS visiting Newfoundland

Group Size: Based on the 2009 statistics, there is over 460,000 non-resident visitors every year. That number is slowly growing. Out of that group, automobile and cruise visitors have a high chance of meeting wildlife species. There are over 115,00 automobile and 16,000 unique cruise visitors. The category of cruise visitors are especially important because opporunity to see wildlife and enjoy breathtaking views is major reason for sea travel.

FROM Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (TCR)
Year-To-Date (YTD) Tourism Highlights November 2009*

http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/publications/2009/Tourism%20performance%202009%20YTD%20November%202009.pdf

• Overall the number of non-resident automobile, air and cruise visitors to the province reached an
estimated 460,500 visitors for the period ending November 2009, an increase of 0.4% over 2008.
• The number of non-resident automobile visitors to the province reached 115,500 to the end of
November 2009, an increase of 4.3% over the same time period of last year. 
• The number of non-resident air visitors reached an estimated 328,800 to the end of November
2009, an increase of 0.2% over the same period last year.
• Based on an examination of detailed cruise itineraries provided by Cruise Newfoundland and
Labrador the province is estimated to have received approximately 16,200 unique non-resident
cruise visitors3 during the 2009 cruise season, a decline of -18.3% over 2008.
• Based on available data, the occupancy rate for provincial roofed accommodations reached
50.1% for the period ending November 2009, an increase of +0.8 points1 over 2008 levels.

Sources:
http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/stats/

Newfoundland tourism sees an increase despite national decline trend.

In the first 10 months of 2009,
the majority of provinces saw
declines in travel to the U.S. with
the exception of Newfoundland
(+2.1%) and Alberta (+1.4%).
P.E.I registered the largest decline
(-37.6%).

from: Statistic Canada
Snapshot of 2009 Travel/Tourism in Canada

Why tourists is a good target group.

The main objective of the NL Nature is to encourage general public to post photo or even video observations of Newfoundland's wildlife. For this to happen, the following assumptions are made:

• a person is interested in flora and fauna or is interested in protecting it
• a person needs to be within proximity of the wildlife
• a person needs to have photo or video equipment

Each of teh above assumptions are true about tourists, many of whom visit Newfoundland for the sole purpose of seeing and documenting local nature.

Target Group: People who's occupation puts them in contact with wildlife

Group includes (numbers are based on 2001 census):

Farmers (1830)

Forestry (logging, timber operations): 1650

Fishing, hunting, trapping (11,525)

Mining, oil & gas (4,935)

Wood mills (1,315)

Others (local, aboriginal administration & services): over 5000

source:

Labour Force by Detailed Industry (NAICS Classification) and Sex by Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

http://www.stats.gov.nl.ca/Statistics/Census2001/PDF/LF_Ind_Sex_NL.PDF

Number of people incolved in Agricultural, biological, nutritional, and food sciences in 2001 with university degrees: 1900

Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency. (2003). Major Field of Study of Population 15 years and Over by Sex. Newfoundland and Labrador. 2001 Census. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from :

http://www.stats.gov.nl.ca/Statistics/Census2001/PDF/EDU_2001_MajorFieldStudy_Sex_NL.PDF

Pupolation of Newfoundland:

505,469 according to 2006 census

512,930 according to 2001 census

 

Statistics Canada. (2010). Newfoundland and Labrador. Community Profile. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from :

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591

Another advantage of tourists as the primary group is it allows the project to take advantage of the exising efforts on the part of the government of the province to promote Newfoundland and Labrador as a wildlife eco-adventure destination:

"Perhaps it’s because, in a way, the whole of Newfoundland and Labrador is already something of a wildlife display. And you can enjoy it pretty much everywhere, without admission prices, feeding times, or fences to keep the nature in. 

How would you pen in humpback whales? Or limit the playfulness of dolphins behind a glass viewing area? Impossible, we say. At least out here. Better, instead, to see them as nature intended. In wide open spaces. On no schedule but their own."

Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Tourism. (2009). As wild as it gets. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from :

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/About/OurNaturalEnvironment/Wildlife.aspx