Background: The purpose of the segmentation studies is to identify Canadian population audiences affected by the pandemic and aid in the creation of communication tools to reach them more effectively. The author conducted four marketing segmentation studies using Statistics Canada Data (CPSS Series 1 to 4) collected since March, 2020. All of these were online surveys comprising more than 4,200 adult respondents where the probability panel for each was created by randomly selecting a subset of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondents. Analysis of the data was undertaken using a combination of principal components and cluster analysis.
The following are the author's reflections on the conclusions of these segmentation studies:
Study 1 (Routine Activities): Canadians are Reinventing Themselves
The period of COVID-19 confinement has lead to a soul searching process where individuals are finding meanings to their lives by performing essential survival tasks. These include washing hands, avoiding crowds, watching T.V., internet browsing, exercising, alcohol consumption and others. Segment Configuration Found: "Hygienists" (25%), "Caregivers"(14%), "Sound Body Minders" (23%), "Home-centric" (19%), "Media-centric" (9%) and "Oblivious" (10%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/6vumh/
Study 2 (Fears of Infections): Canadians Are Learning How to Live with Fear
The examination of the fears of being infected by the virus leads to the conclusion that certain places and situations are part of the daily concerns for ordinary Canadians. Visiting retirement homes, traveling by car or airplane, attending public events, shopping, eating out, seeing doctors and/or participating in sports or gyms increase fears of infections. Segment Configuration Found: "Germophobes" (7%), "Crowd-Averse" (34%), "Fearless" (17%), "Outside "Bubble"-Averse" (18%), and ""Nursing Homes-Averse" (24%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/b38vs/
Study 3: (Collective Anxieties) Canadians Are Concerned About Themselves, the Health System and the Fate of Humanity
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada represents a very troubling period as individuals confront a powerful "invisible" enemy killer in the form of the COVID-19 virus. This study revealed that there are profound collective anxieties present in the Canadian population and these gravitate around the health system overload and social conditions in the country and the world. Segment Configuration Found: Health Conditions Anxious (13%), Health System Overload Anxious (26%), Angst-Free (23%), Inner-Bubble Conditions Anxious (12%), Outer-Bubble Conditions Anxious (25%) and World Conditions Anxious (1%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/sn9xu/
Study 4: (Social Media Use, with Jennifer Dumoulin) Canadians Are Becoming More "Virtual" to Ensure Their Survival
In order to satisfy their hunger for social interaction, Canadians are now using a variety of social and non social media vehicles to gather information, share experiences and express anxieties during the COVID-19 confinement period. These include social media posts, online news, online magazines, video platforms, e-mails as well as non internet-based sources. Segment Configuration Found: Social Media Buffs (27%), News Followers (33%), Unplugged (10%), Plugged-In (9%), E-Mailers (7%) and Mixed Source Users (16%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/ax9vm/
During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada and the World, market segmentation becomes a useful tool for decision makers to categorize population members by their typical attitudinal traits and, by doing so, facilitate better public campaigns, help design messages, and implement changes that can promote more efficient ways to deal with their target audiences.
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The following are the author's reflections on the conclusions of these segmentation studies:
Study 1 (Routine Activities): Canadians are Reinventing Themselves
The period of COVID-19 confinement has lead to a soul searching process where individuals are finding meanings to their lives by performing essential survival tasks. These include washing hands, avoiding crowds, watching T.V., internet browsing, exercising, alcohol consumption and others. Segment Configuration Found: "Hygienists" (25%), "Caregivers"(14%), "Sound Body Minders" (23%), "Home-centric" (19%), "Media-centric" (9%) and "Oblivious" (10%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/6vumh/
Study 2 (Fears of Infections): Canadians Are Learning How to Live with Fear
The examination of the fears of being infected by the virus leads to the conclusion that certain places and situations are part of the daily concerns for ordinary Canadians. Visiting retirement homes, traveling by car or airplane, attending public events, shopping, eating out, seeing doctors and/or participating in sports or gyms increase fears of infections. Segment Configuration Found: "Germophobes" (7%), "Crowd-Averse" (34%), "Fearless" (17%), "Outside "Bubble"-Averse" (18%), and ""Nursing Homes-Averse" (24%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/b38vs/
Study 3: (Collective Anxieties) Canadians Are Concerned About Themselves, the Health System and the Fate of Humanity
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada represents a very troubling period as individuals confront a powerful "invisible" enemy killer in the form of the COVID-19 virus. This study revealed that there are profound collective anxieties present in the Canadian population and these gravitate around the health system overload and social conditions in the country and the world. Segment Configuration Found: Health Conditions Anxious (13%), Health System Overload Anxious (26%), Angst-Free (23%), Inner-Bubble Conditions Anxious (12%), Outer-Bubble Conditions Anxious (25%) and World Conditions Anxious (1%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/sn9xu/
Study 4: (Social Media Use, with Jennifer Dumoulin) Canadians Are Becoming More "Virtual" to Ensure Their Survival
In order to satisfy their hunger for social interaction, Canadians are now using a variety of social and non social media vehicles to gather information, share experiences and express anxieties during the COVID-19 confinement period. These include social media posts, online news, online magazines, video platforms, e-mails as well as non internet-based sources. Segment Configuration Found: Social Media Buffs (27%), News Followers (33%), Unplugged (10%), Plugged-In (9%), E-Mailers (7%) and Mixed Source Users (16%).
Report available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/ax9vm/
During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada and the World, market segmentation becomes a useful tool for decision makers to categorize population members by their typical attitudinal traits and, by doing so, facilitate better public campaigns, help design messages, and implement changes that can promote more efficient ways to deal with their target audiences.
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