Finding the Niche

The beginning of a new year is always a time for optimism about what the coming months will bring. And so it was at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, where dealers previewed the RVs that they and manufacturers will count on to appeal to customers in 2007.

There were lots of attractive new RVs on display to fuel expectations that 2007 will be a good year, and you’ll see some of these new RVs in this month’s issue. From this sampling, it’s clear that manufacturers are determined to create an RV for just about every market niche. Newmar showed off its All Star cycle edition that is designed specifically for RVers who travel with motorcycles. Fleetwood RV debuted a motorhome/trailer combination that sleeps 14 and still has room to haul ATVs and other toys. Monaco produced a trailer tailored for Dodge truck owners who want both their truck and trailer to sport the Dodge Ram logo.

And just when you thought that everything that could be put in an RV, from electric fireplaces to high definition TVs, was already there, a new option emerged—the sauna that doubles as a closet. Three manufacturers debuted RVs with saunas.

Many people undoubtedly left the Louisville show excited about the prospects for 2007. A week after the show, one manufacturer, Thor Industries, whose many components include Airstream, Damon, Dutchmen and Four Winds, announced that it had received $238 million in orders, and expected the final total to be higher—it’s second best show total ever.

Trailers Gain
RV Business magazine named 2006 “The Year of the Towable” in recognition of the fact that travel trailers, fifth wheels and tent trailers were the stars of the RV industry last year, with sales rising while motorhome demand fell. Nine out of every 10 RVs shipped by manufacturers last year were towables.

Whether that trend will hold in 2007 is anyone’s guess despite all the market research that the RV industry conducts. Whatever the new year brings, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association continues to be upbeat about long-term prospects for the industry, estimating that RV ownership will grow from the current 8 million households to more than 8.5 million by 2010.
As manufacturers focus on tailoring products for niches in the market, they turn to market research to help find those niches. Go RVing, the marketing coalition of RV manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and others in the industry, has been dividing the RV market into segments, probing what it calls the “demographics and psychographics of RV-buyer prospects and the best ways to reach them.”

Its latest Communications Planning Study, developed by Harris Interactive, identifies three groups that the RV industry will target this year with advertising messages. The first it calls “The Family that Plays Together,” and consists of couples between 35 and 49 with at least one child. It is thought that the convenience and flexibility of traveling in an RV will appeal to them.

The second group is called “The Get Up and Go Crowd.” About half are between 35 and 49 years old and most have no children. They are enthusiastic about sports, especially motor sports. The message directed to them will be that RVing is affordable.

The third group is labeled “Nature Lovers.” They are typically between 50 and 64, and have an average household income of $93,600. Since they like to travel to remote areas where lodging and restaurants are hard to find, they should be receptive to RVing.

Go RVing has budgeted $66 million for media advertising from 2006 to 2008 to entice these groups and others to experience the RV lifestyle.

Technical Help
A new year always brings changes and that’s true at RV Life, too. Chuck Arnold, one of the most knowledgeable people in the RV service business, has agreed to write a monthly column entitled “Power to the Wise,” starting with this issue.

The addition of Chuck’s column will ensure that our readers have plenty of technical resources to draw upon. Russ and Tiña De Maris will continue to write their popular “Tech Tips” column that is filled with advice on common problems facing RVers. Russ and Tiña write from the perspective of long-time RVers who have lots of do-it-yourself knowledge. Chuck works in the RV service industry and writes from that perspective. He will share his professional knowledge, responding to issues raised by readers. If you have an RV question that you would like Chuck to tackle, you can e-mail him at askchuck@thepowershop.com. Or, if you prefer, you can write to him in care of RV Life and we will pass along your letter.

Chuck, who has lived in the Puget Sound area since he was 3 years old, became acquainted with RVs in high school when he worked for a Seattle trailer rental company and hooked up trailer lights. After that he got a job at a welding company that installed trailer hitches. By the age of 24 he was in business for himself, expanding from installing trailer hitches to doing complete service on RVs, plus all sorts of metal fabrication jobs involving everything from light poles to the keel of a boat. The business grew to the point where it had 18 employees, but Chuck felt he was trying to do too much and eventually sold the business.

Along the way, Chuck studied engineering at the University of Washington for two years, married and had three children. In 1997, he and two friends opened a new business in Enumclaw, Washing-ton, called The PowerShop, which focuses on RV performance.

Today, Chuck is able to draw on nearly 40 years of experience in the RV business to analyze problems with motorhomes and trailers, and we are delighted that he is going to share his expertise with our readers.

Write to Mike Ward, editor at RV Life Magazine, 18717 76th Avenue West, Suite B, Lynnwood, WA 98037 or e-mail editor@rvlife.com. Find First Glance on-line at rvlife.com