Research for 'FutureYork' - Audience Research - Existing product research - Primary Research

1. Client Project Research
Olivia Day

2. Audience
This age band of visitors to York indicates that
17-24 year olds are only a small percentage of
visitors to the city. I’m making it my job to
ensure that particular ratio is changed. There
is so much for young adults to do and
Young people love to follow trends and are very easily
influenced. Shedding more light on ‘Britain’s most popular
city’ (https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-
reports/2018/08/20/york-britains-most-liked-city) and what
it has to offer to the younger percentile audience, will be
beneficial to not only the city’s reputation but to local
independent businesses which Gen Z go mad for.
experience in York, for example to go for a healthy brunch at one of the many
fashionable cafés; spending an afternoon shopping on the high street or even soak up
the history of the city from behind a camera lens. All of these are common interests of
people of this age range (17-25) as another survey states that wellness, shopping and
photography are all a part of general spending habits of Gen Z
(https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-gen-z-spends-money-on).

3. Audience
As a 17 year old, I am a part of the demographic to which I am trying to reach out. I love the
city of York and am rarely bored when out in town. Me and my social circle (all girls) often go
out for brunch or dinner and are always looking to try new places and experience ranges of
cuisine. The places I commonly visit in York tend to be ‘hot spots’ for others of a similar age to
me which has makes me wonder whether there might be a deeper meaning to this. As
previously stated, people of ages 16-24 are remain obsessed with trends and attractive
looking places to visit. I say this because I often find myself going to places and thinking “this
would look good on my Instagram feed,” or “this place is so cute I have to come here again
with friends”. Therefore, my visitor guide will include the trendiest and underrated spots in
the city – those underneath the radar - and I will log my personal experiences within the city
and sell them to consumers in the hope that they would be shared online and inform others
of a similar age of the unique experiences York has to offer. Whether that be places to relax
with friends, its booming nightlife, cosy spots for brunch, historic and photogenic buildings, or
vintage shops.
So called ‘influencers’ or ’content creators’ are very present on social media and vlogging has
become extremely popular to watch on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Therefore, the
content of York that I plan to share will follow a similar format to the style which influencers
use e.g. bright colours, aesthetic photography and in-depth reviews of spots in York in order to
sell them honestly to my audience.

4. Audience
For this York tour guide, the audience demographic is set at the ages 16-24. People in this
range lie in the so called ‘Generation Z,’ which stands for ‘Generation Zoomer’ and refers to
the internet. People of this age are stereotypically known for being most present online and
can often be influenced by a simple Instagram or TikTok post, for example. The slight
naiveness of this audience grants an advantage as I may be able to sell a city visit just by a
single ‘viral’ social media post.
UK social media platform statistics have not changed dramatically, except for the continued
growth in popularity of TikTok. The app TikTok permits users to scroll endlessly on the ‘For
You Page’ which allows public accounts to reach audiences from around the world, and so
in order to reach the target demographic I will advertise my Future York account by
uploading trendy content that will fall into the algorithm of my required audience. Sources
say that The largest share of TikTok users (26%) in the UK is aged 18-24, which ideally is the
age group to which I am trying to reach out and bring into York’s centre.
I can keep track of the demographics of the TikTok views by creating a ‘business account’
and this way I will learn to cater to my audience and ensure that the right content is
engaging with by the correct audience.
From personal experience, I often find myself finding restaurant/venue reviews on TikTok
and then I save them for later in the hope that I will soon get the chance to visit that place,
whether it be in York or an entirely different city. Therefore, advertising what the city has to
offer will be beneficial to attracting 16-25 year olds to the city of York.

5. Audience
Social media usage in the UK has increased over the last 12 months and continues to
grow. Overall, approximately 90 percent of people of this age in the UK have a profile
on a social media network. Although it has many purposes, social media is often used
as a source of news. In 2021, an online survey conducted in the UK found that 36
percent of UK news consumers said they used Facebook as a source of news, making it
the third most popular source, after national broadcasters BBC and ITV. However, for
the age range my audience is set at (16-25), Facebook is less commonly used. Now
news is being spread through other platforms just as much which makes it more
accessible to younger audiences. This goes to show how we have the world at our
fingertips and the speed at which information can be spread and consumed is faster
than ever. This is why creating a social media profile/campaign is a great way to target
the required audience for Future York as they will be able to pick up information
quickly and be tempted by the way in which I plan to advertise the York visitor guide.

6. Existing Product Research

7. Existing Product Research - VisitYork
VisitYork is a York-based travel information centre with
a host of online resources. They have an enormous
amount of information on the best places to stay, eat,
shop, events etc. The organisation has built a website
with multiple resources which highlights the perfect
day activities for visitors of York to participate in:
The website even has a search bar to refine what it is
customers may be looking to do in the city. For research
purposes, I searched for which ‘tours’ York currently
has on offer at the moment. For example, it shows
that some of the tours on offer are nature and history
based whereas others offer food/cuisine tours and
there are even a few seasonal tours such as ‘York
Christmas Walking Tour’. They are all family friendly
and I wouldn’t particularly pin them as tours that
would spark the interest of late teens/ young adults.
With the busy schedule of college/university life, I plan on creating a ‘tour’ around York that people
can participate in as more of a checklist. For example I will compose a list of affordable things to do
in the city that stand out to young adults and they can log the process through social media - the
further along they get, the more offers they may be able to unlock within the city.

8. Existing Product Research -
@york.independentlife
Through searching for possible inspiration for my social
media profile, I came across an Instagram account by the
username @York.independentlife. The profile shares many
beautifully photographed images of the city such as
historical buildings/streets, natural surroundings and the
varieties of grub which the city has to offer. Not only that
but also the events that York has on offer at various
venues, such as comedy acts, spoken-word poetry etc.
The audience demographic based from the account’s
interactive followers is very broad, however is
predominantly aged 30+, with a socioeconomic status of
working - middle class. What draws the attraction of this
social group to this profile is the sophistication and
friendly vibe which it has. The images are clear, with bright
colours and have a very convivial mood – making York
appear as a picture-perfect place to bring a family.
In order to make my social media account reach my target audience (17-24) I will carry a similar
approach to @York.independentlife by advertising what the city has to offer, however the page
will retain a more specific, trendy aesthetic.

9. Primary research - Survey
Survey Results: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SC2L3KH
I designed a survey in order to analyse the results of the target demographic I am
looking for to find my product. My survey was shared to a class of university students,
along with personal friends and family. As previously stated, the focus age bracket which
I need is 16-24, which thankfully gave the most answers as I aim to make a magazine
and social media account targeted to university students.
13% of people answered they are 17 or younger.
44% of people answered they are in the 18-20 bracket.
2% of people answered they are in the 21-29 bracket
10% of people answered they are in the 30-39 bracket.
13% of people answered they are in the 40-49 bracket.
18% of people answered they are in the 50-59 bracket.

10. Primary research - Survey
The majority of people who took this survey were women. I hoped that it would be
an even balance so that I could get even results for both genders and grasp a better
general understanding of what all types of people are looking for within York.
However, Survey Monkey offers the ability to refine the results of the survey and look
into which answers each gender gave within the survey which helps.
77% of participants answered that they identify as Female.
23% of participants answered that they identify as Male.

11. Primary research - Survey
An important factor of my survey research was understanding which participants lived
in York so that I could study who takes the time to travel into York upon a whim in
comparison to those who are in York on a daily basis.
59% of participants live in York
41% of participants do not live in York

12. Primary research - Survey
The responses to this question were fairly predictable. Out of 39 responses, 24
said that going for drinks / visit cafes / go for lunch/dinner was a priority – all
food related. 6 of these stated that they went out for food with friends. With
this information, I have recognised the importance of including food/cuisine in
York into my York tour as it will certainly grasp the interest of the younger
audiences.
The majority of those who answered differently are aged 30+ and said that they
enjoy doing things such as “visit historic buildings e.g. York Minster” which
suggests to me that going out for drinks etc. are mostly the interests of a
younger audience.

13. Primary research - Survey
Understanding how often people travel into Central York helps me gain an
understanding of the relevance of my product. Thankfully, the results show that most
people travel into York ‘very often’ and so they may be more likely to participate in the
indulgence of finding out new things to do in York and be intrigued by possible offers
which my tour guide will include.
49% of participants answered that
they travel into York very often.
31% of participants answered that
they travel into York often.
2% of participants answered that they
sometimes travel into York
16% of participants answered that
they rarely travel into York
2% of participants answered that they
never travel into York.

14. Primary research - Survey
.
As I am setting my target audience focus upon late teens/ young adults, I decided it
is only reasonable to incorporate the nightlife of York into my project. For example,
I could inform visitors to York of weekday events each club/bar has to offer e.g.
Quids-in at Kuda bar and club, Pound A Pint (PAP) at Yates, and freshers events for
students around the town.
5% of participants said that the nightlife in York was
excellent.
64% of participants said that the nightlife in York
was good.
26% of participants said that the nightlife in York
was moderate.
2% of participants said that the nightlife in York was
bad.
2% of participants said that the nightlife in York was
awful.

15. Primary research - Survey
In order to personally help my research when looking for restaurants/cafes to eat out
at in York, I asked the survey participants to let me know which places they would
recommend. This way, when I compose the food tour and review some restaurants on
the social media page, I will have a head start on where to visit/recommend. There is
quite a variety in the many forms of cuisine which were recommended, the range in
flavours and environments will enable the food tour to be deemed as more exciting
and motivating.

16. Primary research - Survey
I needed to know whether creating a social media account would be beneficial to
my audience and so I asked for their opinion on the concept. Thankfully, the
results show that most people are interested in the idea.
Social media is an easy way to be quickly fed information which I believe is why it
is so attractive to the younger generation, and so small reminders of what York
has to offer may subconsciously make the idea of visiting the city more appealing.
67% of participants said yes
33% of participants said no

17. Primary research - Survey
For additional help/research I needed to know what sort of content people would
be expecting to see on the social media page. There were many food related
comments, as expected, and luckily food reviews are what I intend to be the prime
subject on the account. Another very common answer to this question was “offers”
and “vouchers”. To satisfy my audience, I plan on including special offers and
discounts as a result to participating in the food trial.
Not only will the page consist of food and drink related topics, but also upcoming
events coming to the city and aesthetic photographed images of spots in York

18. Primary research - Survey
In order to decide which tour category I should pursue, I asked my survey
participants what they like to do in their spare time as the tour would be
something they could do in that time. This is so that I could analyze the results
and see which was the most common answer so that I could broaden the
chances of people wanting to participate by making the most common theme
the topic of the tour.
The most common answers to this question were “socializing with friends” and
“eating out,” as expected. Therefore, I aim to make these matters the topic of my
tour and I will also feature the other regular responses in the magazine and social
media page to branch out as much as possible.

19. Bibliography

20. Bibliography
1. Generation Z - https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-gen-z-spends-money-on - (November
29, 2021)
2. York, Britain’s most liked city article - https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-
reports/2018/08/20/york-britains-most-liked-city (August 20, 2018)
3. TikTok user statistics - https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/tiktok-statistics
4. Social media networks statistics - https://www.avocadosocial.com/uk-social-media-statistics-2022/
5. VisitYork website - https://www.visityork.org
6. @York.independentlife Instagram profile - https://www.instagram.com/york.independentlife/
7. My survey research - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SC2L3KH