Ciara Smyth, director of insight, planning and strategy, Stroke Association Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

2. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
The journey – segmenting
our consumer audiences
Ciara Smyth
Director Insight, Strategy and Planning
May 2016
CharityComms Conference

3. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Presentation will cover
• Overview of our journey to date
• Share our segmentation
• How we’re using the segmentation
• Reflections on learnings

4. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Background - Stroke
• 2nd biggest killer globally
• 4th biggest killer in the UK
• 1 in 4 strokes happen to
people under the age of 65
• Main cause of complex
disability in adults in UK

5. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Background – Stroke Association
• Over last 15 years doubled in
income & trebled number of people
we support
• Campaigning success led to
National Stroke Strategy 2007
• Research we funded led to
development of FAST campaign
• Royal Mail Charity of the Year
• Times Christmas Charity of the Year
• Gala Dinner at Buckingham Palace
with Duran Duran
• Awareness increasing slowly

6. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Background
• Little insight other than tracking
• Gaps in data eg historic data,
JustGiving
• Functional focus – silo working,
data silos etc
• Transactional focus to
segmentation
• Lack of consensus on standard
universal information to capture
• Little focus on understanding
audience motivation and attitudes
• No deep understanding of
customer lifetime value

7. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Incentive to evolve approach
• Increase in people affected
by stroke needing our
support
• NHS restructure
• Changes to commissioning
of services
• Threats to fundraising
income and practice
• Requirement to grow
supporter numbers and net
income

8. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Where did we want to be?
• Clarity on end destination for
insight/segmentation
• Development of a portfolio of products
• Join up segment offer and channel
• Improve stewardship
• Improve ROI and net income
• Provide shared focus for
communications/ marketing and
fundraising teams
Insight
Product/message
Channel
Target
Segment

9. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Prioritising the steps to solution
1. Who’s supporting us?
2. Why are they supporting us?
3. How do they support us?
4. How can we attract more of the right supporters and retain
them?
• Best channel to reach them
• Right range of products for priority segments
• Right recognition and reward strategy

10. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Profiling
• We profiled using Mosaic
• Households and individuals categorized into one of 15
main groups, and one of 67 distinctive ‘types’
• Households and postcodes categorised according to;
• Income
• Assets
• Level of urbanisation
• Age
• Life attitudes
• This information is collected via electoral roll, Council Tax
property valuations, house price sales, lifestyle surveys,
census data etc

11. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Suburban mindsets 11.3%
Small town diversity 8.9%
Ex council community 8.5%
Professional rewards 8.2%
Industrial heritage 7.6%
Liberal Opinions 8.5%
Terraced Melting pot 7.3%
Active Retirement 4.5%
Upper Floor Living 5.1%
Careers and kids 5.7%
New Homemakers 6.0%
Claimant culture 5.5%
Elderly needs 5.2%
Rural Solitude 4.2%
Alpha Territory 3.6%
The UK is made up of a proportion
of each of the 15 groups

12. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Findings: our support often comes
from many of the wealthiest
groups
Thousands of the wealthiest exist as ‘cash givers’ and regional fundraisers; probably not having been developed to their full
potential
Distinctive Success
Squires among locals
Business Class
Serious Money
Parish Guardians

13. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Example: one fifth of our events
participants belong to ‘liberal
opinions’
4,371
933
784
86
734
185
623
1,301
1,556
3,059
276
999
607
2,255
2,460
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000
O Liberal Opinions
N Terraced Melting Pot
M Industrial Heritage
L Elderly Needs
K Upper Floor Living
J Claimant Culture
I Ex-Council Community
H New Homemakers
G Careers and Kids
F Suburban Mindsets
E Active Retirement
D Small Town Diversity
C Rural Solitude
B Professional Rewards
A Alpha Territory
Events participants
Base = 20229
Many of these are likely to
have taken part in the
Thames Bridges Bike Ride,
or London Marathon

14. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Example: community fundraising
contains large numbers from
younger backgrounds
1,440
711
1,664
675
300
474
1,099
877
1,395
2,999
1,166
2,328
923
3,204
1,464
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500
O Liberal Opinions
N Terraced Melting Pot
M Industrial Heritage
L Elderly Needs
K Upper Floor Living
J Claimant Culture
I Ex-Council Community
H New Homemakers
G Careers and Kids
F Suburban Mindsets
E Active Retirement
D Small Town Diversity
C Rural Solitude
B Professional Rewards
A Alpha Territory
Regional Fundraising
Base = 20719
Over one fifth come from the
‘Careers and kids’ or
‘Suburban mindsets’ group

15. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Transactional analysis
• Our supporters behave differently depending on their age.
Source: Supporter motivations research, 2014

16. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Next step - why
• Survey of supporters
• All supporter groups
• Recency of transaction
• Source of initial contact with the Stroke Association
• Worked to test hypothesis that stroke was the key factor behind
support
• We asked about attitudes to stroke, charity, NHS, political views,
connection to stroke and views of the Stroke Association
• At the same time analysed transactional data
• Looked at behaviours – cross-marketing etc
• Reviewed existing insight related to supporters in general using
CAM etc
• Reviewed existing tracking studies related to the Stroke Association

17. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
• 73% of our supporters are over 45.
• Majority likely to be empty nesters, married, use the internet
and be concerned about infirmity and health.
• Prompted awareness of the Stroke Association is higher
amongst mature audiences with a slant towards women and
higher socio-economic groups.
• Propensity to donate is also higher among these same groups
• Yet, we also know supporter loyalty is less pronounced
amongst older age groups, and affection for the Stroke
Association appears to get lower after the age of 55.
• 1% spontaneous awareness not shifting
• Transactional analysis showed little evidence of cross
marketing or engagement with multiple products
Synthesis of profiling, survey etc

18. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Synthesis of profiling, survey etc
• Supporters had a good understanding of stroke
but were less familiar with how to prevent a stroke
• 89% of supporters knew someone who had had a
stroke
• 74% of supporters said they supported us
because they or someone close to them had had
a stroke
• Lack of detailed understanding of the impact of
stroke
• The majority of survivors and carers in our sample
had received a service from the Stroke
Association
• 13% said they supported us because they
received help from us

19. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Synthesis of profiling, survey etc
• The younger our supporters
are the more likely they are
to say they support us
because a member of their
family had a stroke
• 13% said they supported us
because they received help
from us – this rose to 25%
amongst stroke survivors
• 35% of campaigners and
32% of volunteers said they
supported us because they
had had a stroke

20. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Favourite charity? • The largest proportion
of respondents said;
• “We’re ‘a good charity’
or ‘You’re one of many
I’m involved with”
• The 7% who said
“favourite”…
• Were more likely to
belong to younger
groups, and do things
on our behalf such as;
volunteering, or
reactive and events
fundraising

21. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
How distinctive are we compared
to other health charities?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Prostate
Cancer UK
Parkinson's
UK
Diabetes UK CLIC Sargent MS Society Na onal
Au s c
Society
Arthri s
Research UK
Motor
Neuron
Disease
Assoocia on
Asthma UK Stroke
Associaton
Even compared to charities of a similar size
and awareness we are not seen as distinctive.
Source CBI: 2015

22. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Summary of findings
• Support comes a wide range of socio economic groups – no one
group dominates.
• We tend to be one of a number of charities donors support
• Connection to stroke is key to support
• Insufficient insight into attitudes meant we weren’t confident in using
an attitudinal segmentation
• Supporters tend to be wealthier
• Stroke Survivors tend to be less well-off but motivated to support
• Data challenges mean we weren’t able to look at segmenting based
on lifetime value
• Minimal evidence of supporters engaging with multiple products –
makes transactional segmentation difficult
• Different groups appear to be motivated by different aspects of our
work
• Need to address our stand-out and relevance

23. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Next steps

24. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Market segmentation
• Decided to focus on a market segmentation.
• We synthesised insight from various sources including
• Profiling
• CAM reports
• Supporter Survey
• Other reports
• Awareness tracking etc
• We discovered that age and connection to stroke were critical
and that life-stage often determines attitudes to the voluntary
sector – including the Stroke Association
• The groups were assigned labels to give an indication of their
age, their likely connection/attitude to stroke and a key life
stage driver that appears to influence how they engage with the
world around them.

25. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Based on analysis we’ve grouped
our consumer audience into age-
based segments
Younger Older
Stroke-aware,
mid-life,
pressured
35-54
Stroke-cause
followers,
youthful idealists
18-34
Stroke-
connected,
empty-nesters
55-74
Age 35 Age 55
Stroke-
experienced,
decreasing circles
75+
Age 75

26. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Example: Stroke-cause followers,
youthful idealists. Who are they?
Key age groups: 18-34
What they do with us;
Take part in events/ sponsor others
Volunteer
Access information online
Follow us on Social media
Key motivations to get involved;
Gran died of a stroke
Work experience/gain skills
Want to raise awareness
Event in area/ fitness
Support a mate
Numbers in UK within age group:
14.6m
(Estimated no’s with connection to
stroke = 5.5m) (NfP)
More likely to say:“Stroke Association
is a favourite/ one of my favourite
charities”

27. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Stroke-cause followers, youthful
idealists. How to reach.
Most IT literate segment.
• Likely to use social media on
computer and smartphone, prolific
users of apps on smartphone
• Publications they read:
Attitudes, awareness and support for
Charities…
• Donate lowest amounts
• Support just one or two charities
• Annoyed if don’t hear back after
donating
• Low understanding of charity activities
• Lowest prompted awareness of the
Stroke Association
• Pay less attention to bad publicity
about charities
On our database as…
Volunteers
Social
media
followers
Runners

28. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Stroke-cause followers, youthful
idealists. What they do with us
• Likely to;
• Raise money in local community
(schools/ quiz nights/ collection
boxes)
• Make a donation in memory
(Often co-ordinated by older
family member)
• Take part in events/ sponsor
others
• Follow us on Social media
• Volunteer
• Less likely to:
• Give committed gift, organise and
run events, play raffles, buy
goods online
Key features:
• Young couples and single
professionals, no kids
• Urban, not rural areas
• Renting accommodation with others
• Internet and telephone shopping and
banking
• Early years of a career
Hobbies and interests:
• Working out in gym
• Classes: aerobics/ yoga
• Cycling and running
• Often attend: gigs/ concerts/
museums

29. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Qualitative research into attitudes
• Next step - qualitative consumer research into attitudes
to stroke
• We ensured the sample had representation across all of
our groups
• Purpose was to deepen understanding of our groups
attitudes to stroke and to influence messaging

30. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Key findings
• Genuine surprise at scale of stroke
• People underestimate their chances of having a stroke
• Low understanding of stroke even amongst connected
groups
• Low understanding of what causes a stroke – stress?
• Some of our messages may be technically accurate but
don’t help genuine understanding eg 152,000 strokes
each year
• People have little idea how to prevent stroke and even
wonder if it is preventable
• Understanding the impact of stroke is quite superficial with
many people assuming the impact is primarily around
mobility or motor function

31. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Key findings
• Support driven by personal connection
• Age plays a role in how people think and what they’re
interested in eg Alzheimers, dependency etc
• People overestimate the treatment and support that will be
available to them
• The scale of concern about cancer puts it in another league –
there is a sense that cancer is everywhere and affects
everyone
• Recovery is seen as more common than it is with a binary view
– you die or you recover
• The FAST campaign has significant levels of recall, but it does
not communicate the scale, likelihood or devastation of stroke
• Some effects have greater resonance with different age groups
eg dependency, communication difficulties

32. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
How is the segmentation being
used?
• Marketing and Communications strategy focusing on
priority audiences and channels
• Shared framework across fundraising and external affairs
to integrate and focus on key audiences eg
Communications Planner
• Messaging based on audience insight
• Celebrity strategy based on engaging high profile people
who resonate with target audience
• Products being developed for specific segments eg Bring
me Sunshine
• Using touchpoints to capture age and connection to stroke

33. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Stroke connected, empty nesters

34. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Step out for stroke

35. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
High-profile supporters

36. Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100
stroke.org.uk
Learnings
• Shared consensus on the problem
• Before you have the measures you need to sell the
idea
• Start anywhere – you have to break deadlock
• Know your final destination

37. For more information
Helpline: 0303 3033 100
Website: stroke.org.uk

38. Visit the CharityComms website
to view slides from past events,
see what events we have
coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk

39. Audience strategy:
understanding and connecting
with stakeholders
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