Australia is a country known for its love of sports, from rugby to cricket, but one particular sporting passion that has a large and dedicated following is motorsport. With a rich history dating back to the early 20th century, Australians have been drawn to the speed, adrenaline, and excitement of high-performance racing, with the country producing a number of world-class drivers and teams over the years.
In this article Experian have a look at how 2 key events on the motorsport calendar differ in type of audience attributes: the iconic Supercars Bathurst 1000 and the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Who attends the Supercars Bathurst 1000?
The Supercars Bathurst 1000 is an annual touring car race that has been held annually since 1963. The race is held at Mount Panorama in Bathurst, New South Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Here are the insights revealed by our audience analysis of the great race:
- Mosaic Group E (Family Fringes) and Group I (Traditional Pursuits) make up the largest proportion of Bathurst attendees.
- Group I (Traditional Pursuits) is the dominant audience, representing one in five of all visitors – This group have average income and school-aged children so cost is a consideration. Bathurst could appeal to this group as it offers free tickets to children under 12, and more importantly, the general ticket price is almost three times cheaper than Formula 1.
- General affordability is less of an issue for Mosaic Group E (Family Fringes), however being large families with older children, events can become a significant cost to bring the entire family. The reduced overall prices for Bathurst compared to Formula 1 makes this event a possibility for this Group.
- Another Group who attend Bathurst is Mosaic Group N (Rural Commitment). Australians who live in very rural areas with some financial constraints. According to market research, this group has a high level of interest in Motor Sports and make a concerted effort to attend the Bathurst 1000, despite financial concerns.
Who attends the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix?
The Australian Formula One Grand Prix has been run annually since 1985. The race is currently held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
When we analysed the audience attributes for the race we uncovered the following insights:
- The dominant audience groups attending the Australian Grand Prix fall into Mosaic groups A (First Class Life), C (Striving for Status), and D (Secure Tranquility).
- These groups all have high levels of disposable income and like to spend it on premium sporting events.
- Nearly twenty five per cent of race goers fall into Mosaic Group A (First Class Life). They have the highest income of any consumer segment and are able to spend a significant amount of money on social events or activities.
- The young professionals (In Mosaic Group C – Striving for Status) also have high income and no children – the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 is an exciting draw for this group.
- Mosaic Group D (Secure Tranquility) makes up 10.7% of all visitors, and for these financially secure retirees’ affordability of tickets is not an issue.
What is Mosaic?
Mosaic is the most comprehensive consumer classification tool in Australia. It can instantly provide organisations with a detailed and granular view of the socio-demographic profile of the Australian population and how that relates to their own customers.
Mosaic utilises more than a thousand data variables from a variety of sources to develop a rich and detailed understanding of consumer behaviours and preferences.
Using this insight into consumers, Experian models every Australian household to classify them into one of 14 Groups and 51 Types, based on their likely behaviours and preferences, which can then be attached to an organisation’s database for analysis, insight and activation.
Uncovering motorsport enthusiasts
Clearly the type of event, its public image and corresponding price point has a large influence on the consumer segments that attend. Typically, Formula 1 attracts higher earners, and those without children as an immediate responsibility. – A significantly different group of consumers to those found at Bathurst.
Make sure when you select from Experian’s preconfigured Digital Audiences you take into consideration additional filters such as household income, location, children and affluence. Contact us to understand more about these filters, and dive deeper into segmenting your audience.
Talk to us about targeting your audiences more effectively
In this article we have focused on motorsport enthusiasts, but the sky really is the limit when it comes to targeting specific consumer segments. We can help you model who your “best” customers are, and then help you discover similar audiences across a vast online and offline network.
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