Selective marketing to environmentally concerned wine consumers: a case for location, gender and age

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to segment the respondents using their location, gender and age as well as their statements about environmental involvement, knowledge and attitudes as the basis for selective marketing classification. Design/methodology/approach – A URL link was sent to the 2,000 members of the Society of Wine Educators. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the main and interaction effects of the independent categorical variables on multiple dependent interval variables. Findings – The results offer insights when considering selective marketing. First, a distinct, measurable, substantial market segment for ecological products was identified, namely: the Millennial male with strong environmental attitudes. Second, residence has an influence on the strength of respondents' environmental attitudes. Research limitations/implications – Although the sample represents most of the states, members of the Society of Wine Educators are individuals that are highly involved with wine as a product and thus may not represent the entire population of the USA. Practical implications – Consumers bring to the purchasing decision varying types of attitudes and beliefs. Understanding how environmental knowledge and attitude, when consumers are segmented by location, gender and age, can be used in selective marketing in the service industry to aid in designing promotional plans; whether the product of choice is a vacation resort, hotel or tourism destination such as a winery. Originality/value – The contribution of the research is to broaden the understanding of environmental concerns and the role location, gender, and age play for marketers when considering the selective marketing concepts discussed by Inskeep and Dolnicar and Leisch.