Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A signifi cant part of the workshops focussed on ideas for enabling switching from plane to
train. These involved service changes (better online booking), incentivizing more frequent user
schemes similar to AIRMILES, combination journeys - train out, plane back for example, social
marketing to change the perceptions of time and price together with carbon emissions, easier
more direct routes from the UK with Eurostar going to more continental destinations. Clearly
these ideas depend not just on using social marketing to change the behaviour of certain market
segments but also the willingness of rail providers and related enterprises to make changes. To
explore some of these ideas a fi nal part of the project involved holding a stakeholder workshop
between the research team and the service providers. This provides a range of potential avenues
for exploration for longer term aspects of social marketing.
In terms of this more limited project in phase 3 ( Table 5.4 ) a number of main interventions
were considered. To this end a decision was made to launch a social marketing intervention based
on 'GenerationY' located within London. This will take the form of an App that will give direct
route comparisons for selected destinations in Europe. It will provide a range of booking facilities,
including hotels if breaks in the journey are required, and is being developed by a commercial
sustainable travel operator (loco2). The purpose of presenting the case study was not to look at
all the outcomes but rather to examine in more detail the key stages in a social marketing
campaign.
Conclusions
Social marketing is a process that uses a range of related techniques. Its appeal and application has
largely been to intervene in health issues but increasingly it is being seen as a means of changing
other types of behaviour. Of growing importance is its use to promote environmental behaviour.
In this context the concepts of behaviour change need to be considered in terms of both social
practices and norms (as in the case for example of fl ying as a social norm), and also sites of
practices. The latter hold particular importance when trying to apply aspects of social marketing
to tourism. Whilst there is a growing recognition of social marketing's use with tourism (Hall
2013) the problems associated with social practices and certainly sites of practices have not yet
been fully recognised. These not only present more complex issues but exciting opportunities for
further research on many of the issues associated with changing tourist behaviour. To date most
of the applications have related to pro-environmental behaviour and even here, as our case study
illustrates, there are many more avenues to explore.
References
Aijen, I. (1991) 'The theory of planned behaviour', Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes ,
50: 179-211.
Andreasen, A.R. (2003), 'The life trajectory of social marketing: some implications', Marketing Theory ,
3(3): 293-303.
Avineri, E. and Goodwin, P. (eds) (2010) Individual Behaviour Change: Evidence in Transport and Public Health.
Department for Transport, London.
Barr, S., Gilg, A. and Shaw, G. (2011a) 'Helping people make better choices: exploring the behaviour change
agenda for environmental sustainability', Applied Geography , 31: 712-20.
Barr, S., Shaw, G. and Coles, T. (2011b) 'Times for (un)sustainability? Challenges and opportunities for
developing behaviour change policy: a case study of consumers at home and away', Global Environmental
Change , 21: 1234-244.
— (2011c) 'Sustainable lifestyles: sites, practices and policy', Environment and Planning A , 43: 3011-029.
Beeton, S. (2001) 'Cyclops and sirens - demarketing as a proactive response to negative consequences of
one-eyed competitive marketing', Travel and Tourism Research Association 32nd Annual Conference
Proceedings , 125-36.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search