Experiential Marketing Model

for a Rural Destination:

Wickenburg, AZ

Eunhye Grace Kim

Deepak Chhabra, PhD

School of Community Resources and Development

College of Public Service and Community Solutions

Arizona State University

Study Objective

To examine the experiential demand

of tourists for a rural destination

To suggest an experiential marketing

model based on spending potential

Wickenburg, AZ

Literature Review

Rural Tourism

(Bramwell & Lane 1994; MacDonald & Jolliffe, 2003;

Pedford 1996; Townes, 2003; Warnick, Bojanic & Xu 2013)

Spending Propensity

(Scott, Laws & Boksberger, 2009)

Experiential Marketing

(Alias, Roslin & Ali, 2014; Goldsmith & Tsiotsou, 2015;

Schmitt, 1999, 2011; Tsiotsou & Ratten, 2010)

Wickenburg, as a Tourist Shopping Village (TSV)

(Cox, 2013)

Customer Experience Management (CEM)

(Schmitt, 2011)

Literature Review (Cont.)

- Experiential Marketing

Leighton (2007)

Examined the potential of experiential marketing strategy to

make heritage attractions competitive & suggested an

indicative framework to examine the scope of consumption-

based experience of heritage

Tsaur, Chiu & Wang (2007)

Experiences resulting from experiential marketing positively

influence visitor emotions and behavioral intention

Applied Schmitt(1999)’s Strategic experiential modules (SEMs)

SENSE, FEEL, THINK, ACT, and RELATE marketing strategies

Customer Experience Management (CEM)Schmitt (2011)

To analyze tourist experience with the purpose of gaining

insight

Step 1

• Learning how tourist experiences & how elements influence

Step 2• Shaping experience platform

Step3• Institutionalizing experience platform & monitoring it

Step4

• Creating & implementing successful experience platform

Methodology

Total of 498 on-site surveys of visitors during 2014

Response rate : 90%, Representative samples

Preferred activities/Experience sought/Motivations/Spending

Winsorized average used for analysis to compute spending

figures

Desert Caballeros Western Museum/ Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts/ Hassayampa River Preserve/ Vulture Mine

Findings: Descriptive (n=498)

Yes

28%

No

72%

First visit

Yes

62%

No

38%

Main Reason:

Attraction

Yes

71%

No

29%

Primary destination

Transportation Own vehicle

Travel with Family & friends

Info source WOM & Internet

Average age 63

Ethnicity Caucasian

EducationCollege degree

or higher

IncomeMore than

$60,000Day trip

81%

Overnight

19%

Time Spent

Findings: Descriptive (n=498)

52.8%

32.1%

8.2%

21.1%

42.0%

7.4%15.1%

0.4%

26.5%19.3%

15.7% 14.5%

Preferred Activities

31.7%

6.6%

41.6%

28.3%

40.2% 40.8%

15.7%21.5%

13.7%

21.7%

32.3%

13.1%

19.5%

4.2%

Tourism Experience Sought

3.55 3.53 3.65

2.39

3.172.70

3.29

1.75

3.16

Travel Motivation

Average spending: $202

Satisfaction : 94%

Findings

Tourism Experience Sought (n=368)

ANOVA test (***<.01, **<.05, *<.1)

Experiential item Spending-Y ($) Spending-N ($) F value

Western hospitality 428 279 11.483***

Authentic high desert 329 171 14.669***

Good service 308 183 7.053***

Shopping 306 179 8.513***

Family fun 257 186 3.088*

Natural 241 176 3.694*

Summary

Experience sought Spending Wickenburg website

THINK-Educational FEEL-Western hospitality SENSE, FEEL & ACT

FEEL-Relaxation THINK-Authentic high desert

SENSE-Natural FEEL-Good service

RELATE-Cultural ACT-Shopping

RELATE-Social RELATE-Family fun

ACT-Entertainment SENSE-Natural

Different Types of Experience

(Strategic Experiential Modules)

THINK & FEEL types of experiences: Revenue generators

Recommendations

Increase appeal of the town to attract lucrative markets

Cognitive experience (THINK, educational)

Emotional experience (FEEL, affective)

Adapt Schmitt’s CEM

Step 1&2: Suggested for Wickenburg

Step 3&4: Wickenburg Chamber of

Commerce needs to consider

Thank you!

Acknowledgement

Julie Brooks, Executive DirectorWickenburg Chamber of Commerce

Karla Scotts, MS

Shengnan Zhao, Ph.D

Lana Olsen, Graduate research assistant

Geoff Lacher, Ph.D

&Dallen Timothy, Ph.D

Arizona State University