Introduction
Westboro is an area located on the west end of Ottawa, which local folk often calls Westboro Village. Located along the Ottawa River, the neighborhood formed in the nineteenth century and quickly became one of the most unique and diverse areas in Ontario. The Westboro community has undergone several transitions and experienced significant gentrification in the early 2000s (Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, Inc., n.d.). As of 2020, Westboro Village includes a number of smaller areas, including Highland Park, McKellar Park, Hampton Park, and Westboro. The old town city hall remains “a vital community center in the middle of the commercial district” (Martin Elder Real Estate Group, n.d.).
Westboro is one of Ottawa’s trendiest neighborhoods because of the amount of retailers, pubs, restaurants, and coffee shops that fill the city. On her website, Joanne Goneau (2020), an accomplished broker of record, shares that Westboro is truly an urban village with more than 200 shops and cafes. Westboro has a population of over 22,000 people, who are mostly financially well-off since the cost of living in the area is 14% higher than the Ottawa average (AreaVibes, Inc., 2020). It is also important to mention that the median age of Westboro residents is 41.8 years, and almost half of them have kids under the age of 18 (AreaVibes, Inc., 2020). Therefore, Westboro is a community made up of parents, who enjoy recreational activities with their children, including hiking, white-water rafting, or going to festivals.
Marketing Plan
In order to find the most efficient channels of communication with the target market, it is frat important to define it properly. Although marketing experts usually use demographics to describe their ideal customer, we believe that our event is not limited to one age group. We utilized psychographics to examine the target audience for the potluck. As a result, we have concluded that our perfect visitors are open-minded and adventurous people, who are rather active in their community. Moreover, they are willing to try something new in terms of cuisine. As for their socio-economic status, our target customers middle- to upper-class in terms of income. Although we expect every age group to attend the potluck, parents with children are the primary focus of our marketing campaigns. The main selling point of the event is the opportunity for Westboro residents to get together outside and try out new foods, while engaging with their community.
There are a couple of different mediums we can use to reach out target group, including papers, local news on TV, social media, and promotional materials such as flyers. Our primary focus is going to be social media (Facebook, in particular). Why? Firstly, based on statistics, middle-aged people spend the most time on Facebook (Sweney, 2018). In addition, research shows that Facebook marketing is one of the most effective marketing approaches for our target group (Sweney, 2018). Thus, we will reach our ideal visitors via Facebook groups of Westboro residents. This way, we can ensure that the people we target are active community members, who will most likely participate in a get-together we are planning. Additionally, we can advertise the potluck among Facebook users from the area, who are interested in different restaurants and cuisines. Apart from the social media campaigns, we can use flyers, which can be handed out on the street or sent by mail (or e-mail). In addition, it would be great to advertise the event on local TV channels in order to attract senior citizens.
References
AreaVibes, Inc. (2020). Westboro, Ottawa, ON.
Martin Elder Real Estate Group (n.d.). Living in Westboro.
Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, Inc. (n.d.). Westboro village.
Sweney, M. (2018). Is Facebook for old people? Over-55s flock in as the young leave. The Guardian.
Wikiwand (n.d.). Westboro: Neighborhood [Image].