EagleRider China Tourism Media Strategy for Australia
This paper presents a strategic media communication plan for EagleRider, the global leader in motorcycle rental and touring, focused on attracting Chinese tourists to its Australian locations. The plan covers a situation analysis of EagleRider's current market position and its "blue ocean" strategy, an identification of primary and secondary target markets within Chinese tourism, and a media selection rationale centered on Chinese online platforms such as RenRen, Kaixin001, Youku, and Tudou. The paper also details a production budget of $120,000 for a video campaign and concludes with campaign goals of reaching 200,000 viewers and generating 8,000 rental inquiries within three to six months.
- Situation Analysis: EagleRider's market position and Australian opportunity
- Media Strategy Overview: Current media presence and online advertising focus
- Target Market: Three-tier segmentation of Chinese tourist audience
- Chinese Social Media and Platform Selection: Chinese platforms replacing blocked Western social media
- Media Promotion and Budget: Video production plan and $120,000 budget allocation
- Evaluation and Goals: 200,000 viewers and 8,000 rental inquiry targets
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its media channel recommendations in documented differences between Chinese and U.S. online behavior, providing a clear rationale for why platforms like Youku and RenRen are chosen over YouTube or Facebook.
- It segments the target market across three tiers — broad, primary, and trial — giving the strategy practical flexibility and testability.
- The use of the "blue ocean strategy" framework to contextualize EagleRider's market position adds theoretical depth without overcomplicating a practical business document.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied market analysis by synthesizing secondary sources — including corporate profiles, income statistics, and social media usage data — to build a coherent strategic argument. This technique, common in business and marketing courses, shows how real-world data can justify specific strategic decisions rather than relying on assertion alone.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a situation analysis establishing EagleRider's brand position and Australian opportunity, then narrows to target market segmentation. It transitions to platform selection and promotion tactics, supported by Chinese internet usage statistics, before concluding with a budget allocation and measurable campaign goals. The structure follows a standard strategic communications planning format: context → audience → channels → execution → evaluation.
Situation Analysis
Background
EagleRider has amassed tremendous market share in the United States. More specifically, it is the global leader in motorcycle rental and touring (EagleRider, 2012). EagleRider has identified and seized a distinct growth niche: "EagleRider is a full service motorcycle and powersport rental and tour agency that caters to international and domestic motorcycle enthusiasts and aficionados" (EagleRider, 2012). While tourists have come from abroad to partake in the EagleRider experience — "the renting of dreams" — EagleRider has maintained its predominant market share largely without expanding into international markets.
EagleRider has adopted a blue ocean strategy, creating "uncontested new market space that made the competition irrelevant" to a significant extent (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005, pp. 1–5). Kim & Mauborgne (2005) write, "The aim of blue ocean strategy is not to out-perform the competition in an existing industry, but to create new market space or a blue ocean." They further note, "Blue oceans denote all the industries not in existence today" (Kim & Mauborgne, 2012). EagleRider has molded its own market by incorporating motorcycle touring within the motorcycle rental industry, and has refined its vertical niche by offering American-branded Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Consumers may be aware of the EagleRider brand in markets outside the United States, and EagleRider locations exist in Europe and Mexico (EagleRider, 2012). However, EagleRider's physical, storefront presence has significant potential for international growth. EagleRider has also entered the Australian market, as evidenced by its website for Australian motorcycle and motorbike rentals. EagleRider (2012) describes its Australian market position as follows:
Australia is home to many of the world's most unique and exciting tourist attractions. With beautiful coastal highways stretching around the entire country and the rugged desert outback expanding throughout its core, Australia is the perfect destination for motorcycle enthusiasts looking to embark on an unforgettable ride. Whether you choose to ride through the metropolitan capital cities or learn about the Aboriginal culture while touring the Northern Territory, the best way to experience Australia is riding on two wheels.
Situation and Significance
To increase revenue, profit, and market share, EagleRider could target Chinese tourists. The corporation will need to devise a marketing communication plan and employ specific media strategies in order to capture a significant portion of the Chinese tourism segment in Australia. Attaining market share within Chinese tourism will help EagleRider continue its growth and maintain its prominent market position.
Media Strategy Overview
Media Presence
EagleRider currently uses media to market its services in the United States. A series of YouTube videos are available online that describe EagleRider's rental procedures and the overall rental experience. For instance, a YouTube video entitled "EagleRider Motorcycle Rentals and Tours" had over 13,000 views (YouTube, 2012). Many of EagleRider's independent locations also post YouTube videos to promote their individual facilities. However, many of these local promotional and informational videos have garnered relatively few views, ranging from approximately 150 to 2,500 views per video (YouTube, 2012). These figures suggest that local videos produce only a mild to moderate promotional impact, particularly when considering that EagleRider serves approximately 40,000 customers worldwide annually (Hoovers, 2012). As Hoovers (2012) notes, "In addition to big motorcycles, the company rents scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, and dirt bikes to more than 40,000 customers a year. The firm has aggressive growth plans to someday exceed 500 rental locations worldwide."
Media Selection
This media plan emphasizes online advertising; all selected media are in an online marketing or advertising format. The online marketing plan encompasses online infomercial videos, commercial videos, and social network advertising.
Target Market
Broad, Secondary Target Market
From a broad scope, EagleRider will target Chinese tourists who may have an inclination to vacation or travel to Australia. This broad target primarily includes adults — male and female — who may be traveling as a group or as couples. Given the nature of media broadcasting and distribution, this broad target market is not restricted by geographical location.
Primary Target Market
EagleRider will primarily target high-income Chinese males, particularly those who already own or ride motorcycles, as they represent the most refined target market. Where geographical broadcasting or distribution restrictions apply, EagleRider will focus on urban areas, where per capita income in 2009 was RMB 17,175 (USD 2,500), compared with only RMB 5,153 (USD 755) in rural areas (Liu, 2010).
Trial Target Market
On a trial basis, EagleRider will target Chinese corporations that conduct business in Australia. The Australia China Business Council (2012) indicates that China and Australia share significant business connections. EagleRider can market to both Chinese and Australian businesses with the intent of encouraging Chinese corporate employees who visit Australia for business to take short EagleRider motorcycle or motorbike tour excursions. For example, Australian companies could host employee tours to facilitate better business relations, utilizing EagleRider's wide range of vehicles to offer safe and accessible options for participants.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.