In marketing and consumer psychology we’re often asked to segment markets for clients. A recent trip to the 2012 Winter Festival in Fremantle had me pondering some rarely seen segments, but first I should explain why I went there.
When I was little I’d daydream about skating around a massive tree-lined outdoor ice rink … set in New York usually. I’d be dressed in a cool Audrey Hepburn-esk outfit, cute hat, gloves, scarf joyfully flapping in my wake. I’d spend hours skimming along the surface, weaving poetically amongst a myriad of stylish hipsters. Then came high school skating lessons at the Premier Ice Rink, and reality hit me harder than the ice that had a hypnotic effect on my bottom. Years on, with memories faded, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that the Fremantle Winter Festival would include an outdoor rink woohoo!
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
Arriving at the rink I pondered many things but mostly the heart-warming gumbo of ages and cultures skating before me. Soon my marketing brain was pondering the market segments before me. There were too many to fit in one post, but to start with …
The Leapfroggers … the largest of all the segments, and one not to be toyed with, noone was safe if you got in their way, especially if you were under 3 foot.
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
The Three Legger. At first I thought she was showing off by wearing a long dress on the ice, but then I realised it was hiding her third leg!, sneaky
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
The Anchor … realising they’re moving too fast towards the fence they’d grab anything nearby to slow their progress … anchors away!
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
More segments to follow ..
The rink is open until July 22nd and three tips for those going with kids …(a) go early before the ice starts to melt (b) take a change of clothes – even the winter sun managed to turn parts of the rink into a lake during the last few hours. Actually for some of the kids this was an added attraction … they arrived at an ice rink and ended up on a water slide (c) watch out for the Lipton Chai Tea girls walking around giving free samples, it’s liquid warmth in a cup … slogan rights pending.
