Step two: Segmenting your audiences

Segmenting your audiences will help you to target higher risk drinkers. Insights into their values and attitudes can help you to develop communications that will effectively engage them.

You should:

• Utilise the Alcohol Learning Centre resources including:
  • the Segmentation which you can compare with your own local data
  • Best practice from across the regions, especially those from areas with similar target audiences and local characteristics
• Use your primary research and national insights to segment your audience according to different values such as location, attitudes and demographics as well as different stages of behaviour change or likeliness to respond to communications

New segmentation tools

1. CACI segmentation tool

A new segmentation tool for PCTs has been developed which identifies 'pen portraits' of increasing and higher risk audiences and gives an insight into which of these audiences are most likely to respond to direct marketing communications.

The tool uses data to define people in terms of their behaviour - for example, responsiveness to communications, frequency of drinking alcohol and propensity to be admitted to hospital - as well as key demographics. These profiles are for communications purposes only.

The data sources used to develop these segments include:

• Hospital admissions data held by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO)
• Health ACORN to map against health inequalities
• TGI data to show drinking consumption levels
• Responder data from the NW social marketing pilot
• Alcohol expenditure data from the Family Expenditure Survey
• CACI Ocean Data to provide lifestyle information
• TGI media usage data

The segmentation tool includes maps for all PCTs which highlight where these segments live. The maps include recommendations about the most appropriate segments for you to target with communications first in order to impact on indicators to reduce alcohol related hospital admissions. They will also provide guidance on the most appropriate communication channels for your target segments.

You will be able to use these maps to support the development of your communications - for example, they can help you with media buying. At a national level we will also be using this segmentation tool for all communications so that we are all working in synergy.

2. North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) segmentation tool

The NWPHO segmentation tool uses alcohol-related hospital admissions data to segment audiences. It has been developed to inform commissioning decisions about clinical service and service development and will be available through the ALC later in the year.

Using your own insights and the national segmentation tools described above, you can map your audiences according to the 'stages of change' described in section Alcohol and social marketing: two so that you can target your activities and tailor your messages accordingly.

It is also important to recognise that people can move in and out of higher risk drinking throughout their lives. With this in mind, don't neglect other segments drinking above NHS recommended guidelines.