Explanation

Marketing a hot-air balloon is not like marketing a mass market consumer product. For one thing a balloon is expensive! To see how the cost of a balloon is broken down, you may want to have a look at the cost breakdown section. For another thing the market is a very choosy one. When making a large purchase of this nature clients will look at all the options very carefully. In fact 60-70% of the business of Cameron Balloons is return business - customers who have bought from them before and are upgrading. All of them will require close personal attention from the firm.

The market is not a clear one either - there are a number of different segments to the market. Some customers are private individuals for whom ballooning is a hobby. Some are semi-professional pilots who have been sponsored to fly their balloon and therefore have a large number of flying commitments each year. Some are professional operators who carry fare-paying passengers. Finally there are also the commercial customers who want special shape balloons. All of these customers are very particular about the product they are buying.