The City of Markham proudly boasts that it’s one of the most diverse communities in Canada. Located within the burgeoning Greater Toronto Area, Markham is home to a significant number of residents of Asian and South Asian descent, and 61 percent speak a language at home that is neither English nor French. Markham’s households include children of all ages, and many are multigenerational. With such a large and diverse audience, city service providers are challenged to keep up with residents’ needs.
For years, Markham’s Department of Recreation and Culture offered programs that ranged from summer camps and swimming lessons for kids to fitness and arts classes for adults to programs for seniors. But in 2011, recreation programmers noticed that traditional offerings were declining in popularity. Children’s basketball and volleyball programs dropped to a 62 percent fill rate compared to an industry standard of 65 percent. Jason Tsien, the Community Recreation Manager, theorized the sagging numbers were a sign of the community’s changing makeup, especially the influx of new immigrants.
“New immigrants from China were moving into the south end of Markham,” says Tsien, “and we realized that residents’ interests were shifting. They weren’t as interested in traditional fun-in-the-sun kinds of activities like basketball, swimming and volleyball.”
In 2011, city officials turned to Environics Analytics (EA), where analysts used PRIZM, the segmentation system that classified Canadians into 66 distinct lifestyle types, to profile Markham’s residents and detail their lifestyles, demographics and social values, as well as their sports and leisure preferences. The analysis showed that two of Markham’s most populous segments were Pets & PCs (large, upscale suburban families) and Asian Up-and-Comers (successful, middle-aged Asian families). But the big surprise for programmers was data showing that two of the strongest social values among Markham residents were science oriented: Faith in Science and Enthusiasm for Technology.
Using EA’s analysis, the recreation department began revamping its summer camps in 2012. When it introduced a camp focused on robotics and science, the feedback was startling. “The registration allowed for 40 children but the wait list grew to nearly 200 kids,” says Tsien. The popularity of the new programs showed that residents were looking for activities that would teach their kids more than the backstroke. “They wanted our program called ‘Badminton and Abacus,’ not just soccer and swimming,” he added. In fact, when the team added video game programming, the filled-to-capacity course caused the video software programs to crash.
Based on the initial results, the recreation department’s team scrapped approximately 30 percent of its previous programs and added nearly 40 new programs. Program fill rates rose to 73 percent, and a year later, after adding a few more programs, registrations reached a high point of 77 percent. With programming now reflecting residents’ interests and values, the City of Markham was meeting the needs of the community, to the delight of parents, kids and city officials.
Shifting from traditional programming and marketing techniques to a more data-driven approach can be challenging. According to Tsien, it requires a commitment to being open-minded, finding the tools to help you understand your market and then letting go of long-held assumptions about your audience. He adds that the biggest takeaway from his experience is that cities must have the data and tools to meet the changing needs of their community. “The partnership with EA helped us shape the services we provide in the community,” he explains. “And in return, the City of Markham residents are able to build stronger families and live healthier lives. With the data, we’re more accountable to our residents and we can make a difference.”
