Citation

Edmondson B. Transp. Res. Circular 2001; (E-C026): 17-28.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, U.S. National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two new techniques have brought greater efficiency to business marketing: the analysis of consumer trends, and the computerized collection and analysis of data on individuals. These techniques may prove extremely useful to transportation planners. For example, fewer than half of the adults in the United States are heavy drivers, and surveys reveal the demographics, attitudes, and habits of this crucial segment. Other surveys reveal the ways drivers are changing their behavior by using cellular telephones and other new technology in the automobile. Survey research and database marketing can help planners design attractive options to single-passenger automobile use. These techniques are already at work in Adelaide, Australia, and other cities. Basic demographic data can reveal hidden truths about complex social questions. The data have this power because demographic trends explain how society changes on the deepest level. When income distributions or migration patterns change, for example, the behavior of individuals often changes in response, and on a mass scale. If you don't know the trends, the shifting responses of voters and consumers might seem impossible to explain. If you do know the trends, short-term changes in behavior make a lot more sense and your organization can anticipate them. In the United States, several long-term demographic and attitudinal trends are behind recent changes in transportation use. This paper summarizes those trends. It reports on research on the attitudes American drivers have about the time they spend in their vehicles, because knowing those attitudes can help planners design attractive transportation alternatives. The paper also describes changes in the ways businesses collect data on their markets, and it suggests ways these new tools might be used to improve the efficiency of metropolitan transportation systems. The article cites two examples of innovative marketing communications in transportation: the marketing campaign behind the Honda Hybrid automobile, and a pilot project encouraging "travel blending" in Adelaide, Australia.