II Target Market
The target market I have determined for Ocean Ridge country club is a diverse mix of the usual country club target markets with changes that have never been tried before, but I believe will increase income as compared to other clubs in and around the island of Luzon. I have pre determined 2 target markets 1 for the possible members, and another for walk on guests. The second target market is one that has never been tapped by other country clubs and is one that I believe will increase revenue. At the same time I believe this 2nd market will also give the club a chance to market it self to possible future members. This idea will be explained more fully later on in this report. There are many cases with club members that they buy shares but never use them, I have taken this fact into consideration in formulating my target market
The first target market is the Market for the member base. This market is crucial because it is the primary source of returns for Ocean Ridge. The target market for Ocean Ridge members is determined by the following factors: The demographics of a possible member are: Target age being thirty five years old all the way up to 60 years old, social class being classes A to B1, with a status of married preferably with children. On the psychographic side the following factors are taken into consideration: the target psychographic profile is people who lead active health conscious adventurous and luxurious lifestyle and yet have strong family oriented values. This target market was formulated on the premise that we not only want paying members but respectable members’ as well. The demographics of my target market were selected for the following.
The age demographic in this case was started at 35 because it is at this age that people have families or are starting families and planning for the future. It is also the age in which they have moved a step above the rat race and can start thinking of comfort and luxury. It is also at this age where they start to think about the future and plan certain times of rest and recreation. Starting at this age the thought of R and R and life’s luxuries start and from here only grow along with the budgets set aside for these things. The age demographic ends at 60 because usually at the age of 60 where a person retires and their life is all R and R; preparations for this stage have already been made previous to this stage, before one’s retirement.
The social class demographic was chosen for obvious reasons; it is only in this division of the social class that people have the ways and means to afford high-end R and R activities and available luxuries. Families in this social class will have a monthly income of well into the 7-figure amount. They are the cream of society they are the reason for movement in the local economy. This division of the social class usually is already members of other clubs; and as is their practice will buy memberships so they have the luxury of choosing between their different club memberships. Through research it has come to my attention that people in this social class do buy multiple club memberships and our main pull to this sect will be the services that only Ocean Ridge can offer. I didn’t specify just class A because it is also my plan to make available to the class B people some easy payment plans that will put our Country Club memberships well within their reach. Although their spending power is less, this section of the social class is also on the look out for affordable ways of rest and recreation. As it is Ocean Ridge offers more value for their hard earned money and this alone will be a reason for them to seek membership in our club. The inclusion of the class b1 section also makes for a better mix of members for club socials and the like. Rather than having just the hob-knob set of Philippine business, hopefully in the long run this mix of social classes will hopefully widen the horizons of each of the members.
The third demographic of married preferably but not limited to “with children” was included because this status demographic actually forces people to plan time for rest and recreation. Ideally families should have time for themselves and time to be together and Ocean Ridge with its wide variety of activities and such will be a perfect place for families to vacation and meet other like families. This demographic also helps us in our aim to have members that actually patronize the club and not just have memberships and never use it. Hopefully by targeting this demographic we will create a haven of sorts for families wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, and most of all do it often. Here it is our aspiration to create not just a club but also a society of sorts. Where lifelong friendships will be forged and new partnerships created.
In relation to that last idea the psycho graphic segment was formulated. Obviously our target psycho graphic profiles are people who live active, health conscious, adventurous and yet luxurious lifestyles. This lifestyle segment was formulated on the premise that most of Ocean Ridge’s patrons will not just stay indoors; they will want to partake of all the activities and services that we have to offer. And though they may be active and adventurous we will provide a place where they can mix luxury into that equation. Also in the same thought “only when you can afford luxury, can you truly afford adventure”. So why not have the best of both worlds?
When it comes to their values, we would want to target those sections with strong family values. This segment is closely connected to the demographic of married. It is this sense of family that will bring people to Ocean Ridge and keep them coming back time and time again. This is also included because of the fact that I mentioned earlier we don’t just want paying members but respectable members as well.
The second target market I have defined is not for the member base and it is one that I’d like to call the walk-on guests. Walk-on guests are a new idea to the country club world because up until now all country clubs require membership to avail of its facilities and services. That In this case is deemed unreasonable and a hindrance to the clubs growth. I believe that with the walk-on guest program Ocean Ridge is giving itself a chance to market itself to possible future members. On top of which it earns extra revenue for the club giving it a higher budget for its upkeep and maintenance. Some may say that this strategy removes the exclusivity from the country club status. But in my strategy it has not. Though these people are non-members; they will be put through a strict screening process before being allowed walk-on status. The target demographic for walk-ons remains pretty much the same with the difference that they may be from the social classes of B2-B3 or the mid level middle class to the lower level middle class. And also their sport of choice will be very specific to each of the sports offered at Ocean Ridge. Golfers, scuba divers, sailors, and the like will be allowed to use the club’s facilities, for a corresponding fee, and the use of the facilities will be limited to assigned days also giving members first priority.
III Objectives and Strategies
The objectives of Ocean Ridge are very much like those of other prestigious country clubs around. First is to create a club so diverse in its activities offered and services rendered; not sacrificing quality of service at any point, that broad of a range of offerings until now was deemed impossible by other clubs in operation. This in itself is important so as to have an excellent product to be marketed and operated. To achieve this objective, the strategy started from the very beginning. The strategic location of the club helped very much the diverseness of the activities possible at Ocean Ridge. Every detail has been taken into consideration regarding the design and construction of the said facilities. Equipment for all activities is of the highest quality and no expense will be spared in the procurement of the items. Well trained maintenance units will constantly monitor facilities and repair when necessary and aside from that experts will constantly be on hand for the upkeep of facilities and equipment (eg. Jet ski mechanics, equipment technicians).
Second objective from a marketing stand point; and that is to reach as many people who fall into our target market as possible and make them know of Ocean Ridge. Every household in the A to B1 social class should have heard of, if not expressed interest in Ocean Ridge. This objective can be achieved by the use of tie ups with different companies that cater to the high-end market. Companies such as the different credit card companies and financial institutions come to mind. A deal of sorts could be brokered with these companies in the form of; they including our flyers and information sheets with their billing statements, while we give free services and giveaways in the form of free stays at Ocean Ridge to their best customers. This strategy will also give these credit card patrons a sneak-peek of Ocean Ridge and may make them come back for more. Another is to forge tie-ups with other country clubs in distant locations; wherein in a member of either club can avail of the facilities of the other club and vice versa. This can also be a very good marketing tool to entice buyers it’s like a buy 1 take 1 type deal. Where they buy membership in one club but enjoy the facilities of both.
The third objective is to give Ocean Ridge the reputation of being the place where “BIG” things happen, if this is achieved then Ocean Ridge will be rendered in people’s memory and name recall will be strong. This objective can be achieved mainly by sponsoring big events at the facility, especially while it is still new. International golfing events with celebrity participants like Tiger Woods or any famous international player. Big concerts, rave parties, fashion shows, and the like by big names and attended by celebrities and socialites alike. All covered by tri-media. Partnerships with media companies is also a good step, free venues in exchange for media mileage is a possibility. The important thing is to choose the media companies wisely and limit it to those that the class A and B1 patronize. A good relationship with the media will benefit the Club long term.
Fourth is to let the different sports communities know about ocean ridge and that there is a walk-on guest program. Communities such as the diving community, golfing community, sailing community and the like must know about Ocean Ridge’s walk-on guest program. This objective will only be achieved by sending people for personal selling to the different shops and info centers these different communities visit, for the divers the dive shop, and for the sailors the yacht clubs. Though media will also reach these communities, marketing will be more effective on a more personal level for this. The groups in question here are a very specialized group, yet their numbers are impressive. And it is these groups which will help the walk-on guest programs success.
The fifth objective is to market Ocean Ridge as a conscientious community, very much in tone with the general good of society, the environment, and the local community. To this end the previous partnerships with the media will come in handy. OR will support different foundations in different fields with donations or support and our media partners will cover it. OR will sponsor such projects as the coastal clean ups, rural child education programs, and even Calatagan’s very own artificial reef building program and we will make the public know about it through press releases and the like.
The final objective prior to the launch of ocean ridge is to have already an existing member base before launching. This is achieved easiest by personal selling. Each of the CEO’s and VIP’s in manila will be paid a visit by an account executive, these executive will offer these patrons memberships for a fraction of the selling price. Pre-selling prices and personal sales will be continued until a quota is reached after which we will transfer back to our ordinary rates.
As it has come to you attention al these are pre-launching strategies. Included with these plans is a pre-launch party which will be held off-sight right here in the metro manila area. Cocktails and finger foods will be served, and video presentations of Ocean Ridge and scale models will be on display. Entertainment will be provided by live bands and Dj’s all night long. Invitations for this event will be sent through mail together with the credit card bills of our partner institutions. Pre-selling will also be present at the pre-launch and the announcement for the final on-site opening party will also be announced.
IV. Promotional Tools
Through my study of the present project I have deemed that the best promotional tools to be used for the marketing of Ocean Ridge are the following. Though all are highly successful tools their implementation timing is critical, so as not to be redundant in our efforts. Each effort pretexts the coming of the next and builds up the crescendo towards the opening date. The first tool and the one most widely to be used throughout the campaign will be the print advertisements; brochures, information sheets, posters, and a single billboard. The billboard must be situated in a highly passed area, preferably EDSA-GUADALUPE and will be the first promotional tool to go up. 2 years prior to completion of the project the billboard must be up and the design changed on a quarterly basis; giving emphasis to “Ocean Ridge”. The second would be the brochures included in the mail these must be in circulation a year to opening date. Also different media adds about ocean view must be released on tri-media already by this time. 6 months to launch, personal selling will start, first to the higher CEO’s and VIP’s moving down along the ranks. Note that pre-selling prices will continue till the preset quota is reached, upon reaching that quota all prices will move to regular selling prices. Also at this time are the different sports communities being approached like the diving community and the sailing community introducing OR’s services. It is also during this time that “BIG” events should be held at OR even if it is not open yet (eg. Golf tournaments, fashion shows, rave parties, concerts and the like) these events will be covered by our media partners and will continue till the opening date. At 3 months to launch pre-launch party invitations are released and personal selling is still on-going. It is also at this time that OR will hold its first coastal clean up and environmental project, hopefully attended by celebrities and covered again by our media partners. When it is 2 months to launch, the pre-launch party kicks off the count down, and open houses and on-site tours begin. The last 2 months prior to launch all efforts and promotional tools should be in constant play and heavy promotional activities should not stop till launch date. Given that all these steps are taken and carried out, the launch of Ocean Ridge should be a success.
