Figuring Out Buying Behavior No. 1
Segment and People:
The people I chose to interview for this segment were those who lived in the suburbs of Gainesville and had kids ages 5-11. These people are the ones that would be open to the idea of exposing their children to more cultures but are struggling to find an inexpensive and feasible way to do so. The first person I interviewed was the mother of the children my friend nannies for who has two twin boys that are 8 years old. The second person I interviewed was a single father of one 10 year old girl who was my dads good friend from college. Finally, my third interview was with both the husband and wife who cook meals at my sorority house who have 3 kids all within the age range.
Need awareness and Information:
All of these people are very dedicated parents who really want to provide the best for their children. While they lead very busy and chaotic lives they seem to be invested in the growth of their kids, especially when it comes to who they will become in the future. After to talking to all of them, I found that they were extra concerned with the idea of making their kids well rounded as they are growing up very close to a highly ranked university that they would all like their kids to one day attend. The first two interviews both showed similarities in the fact that they wanted to expose their kids to need cultures and cuisines but just did not know how to do it. This is mainly due to a "self proclaimed" lack of skill in the kitchen and a lack of knowledge of ethnically diverse restaurants in the area. The last interview was different due to the fact that both the mother and the father were trained chefs who were skilled in many different cuisines. Their children, they revealed to me, already had a pretty good understanding of a variety of cultures as they started cooking dishes from around the world for the kids at a very young age.
Conclusions:
In summary, I found that the majority of parents were unaware of the exact need of cultural exposure but were open to the idea of solving the problem if given the opportunity. When asked how they would try to expose their kids to diverse cuisines on there own many said they would google the easiest recipes within any culture and they and prepare it themselves. After learning about the idea of a food festival put on through the school all the parents said they would definitely attend and even do more on their own to teach their kids. While each parent was not the exact same the best way I could label this newly found segment within the Gainesville community would be parents dedicated to the worldliness and growth of their kids.
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI think that this segment was a great choice because they live in a very diverse town, but only the last could had grasped the concept of diversity in cuisine. Now that you went with Gainesville as a segment, I say take it and run. There are plenty of people on campus from a wide variety of cultures. Not to mention, there are several multicultural organizations on campus. What stops you from hosting a large food festival and sharing profits with them for providing dishes of their culture. If you look, many of them are always saying that the funding from SG is wasted and needs to be more towards their causes. This could be a great opportunity for you to make some money and for them to get funding. Also, you are bringing their talents, abilities, and culture to the public making them seem more important in the grand scale.
Hi there Brooke! This was a really great post overall. I think you chose a very ideal segment for your unmet need. Suburban families definitely will want to expose their children to other cultures and should definitely have an interest in these festivals. Parents should want to introduce their kids to things they are not familiar with and educate them!
ReplyDeleteHi Brooke,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't have kids, I found your segment of people interviewed relatable since I grew up in the suburbs of Gainesville. Fortunately for myself, I was exposed to Indian culture from an early age, as my family befriended a neighboring Indian family. Other children may not share this luxury. Had it not been for where I grew up, I doubt I would've received the same kind of cultural exposure. My parents enjoyed every aspect of the learning experience, I'm surprised that other parents are unaware of the need for cultural exposure.