Marketing Through Eugene's Eyes

I’m not going to lie…but I’ve been eager to write several blogs in the last week on a few interesting marketing topics but I haven’t because of several reasons: (i) I’ve been really sick with the flu; and (ii) even with the flu, I’ve been studying for 2 mid-terms, but since completing the marketing mid-term just less than a hour ago, I’ve been stuck on the marketing gear.

Earlier today, I read this interesting article on the travel experiences of a journalist on the VIA Train. This reminded me of my 3 night Toronto-Vancouver trip on ‘The Canadian’ VIA Train in late August (I actually broke up my trip into different segments (Toronto-Winnipeg; Winnipeg-Jasper and Jasper-Vancouver) so I stayed 2 nights each in Winnipeg and Jasper).

As I said earlier, since I’ve been shifted to a marketing gear for the whole day, I was relating my VIA experience to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. To be precise, I was thinking how VIA satisfied all my needs. So let me begin…..

PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS  – I travelled on Sleepers Class (like the journalist) and so my private cabin contained a bathroom, equipped with a shower, and a comfortable bed. It was my shelter, it was my home for the 3 nights I slept on the train. On the train, there was a cafe that served coffee/tea, sandwiches, soups etc. and there was a really good restaurant on-board that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food in the restaurant was impeccable. So my shelter, food and water needs were satisfied.

SAFETY NEEDS – For the whole journey, I felt secure on the train. There were train guards who patrolled the carriages and supervised the boarding of passengers. There were safety windows and emergency exits. Safety and evacuation procedures were announced. At no time on the train did I fear for the security of my body and my belongings. Now thinking back on it, maybe I shouldn’t have just left my backpack and belongings on the seat of the dome carriages!

LOVE AND BELONGING NEEDS – As the journalist commented in his review, I was able to have lively, meaningful conversations with the other passengers. I recall meeting several other UBC students who were making their way back to UBC, an Oxford student whose English accent was unbelievably posh, a couple from Canberra (the capital of Australia), an old Indian couple from Missisauga, Ontario, and numerous other people. My friend and I had dinner with a UBC student and the Oxford student on one of the nights. I developed friendships here and felt a sense of belonging.

ESTEEM NEEDS – To be honest, I felt happy that I traversed Canada from east to west on rail. To me, VIA Rail was positioned as a luxury form of transportation. Having learnt that the majority of locals have never travelled on VIA, I was proud to say that I have (but I guess VIA is a more ‘touristy’ thing to do).

SELF-ACTUALISATION NEEDS – Travelling through the marshlands, swamps and meadows of Eastern Canada, through the yellow, endlessly flat plains of the Priaries, and through the majestic, picturesque valleys, trees, and turquoise lakes and rivers of the Rockies really compelled me to reflect on the sheer beauty of Canada’s landscape. I also had lots of time to myself – I was able to reflect upon my travels in the 2 weeks prior to the train journey (New York, Washington DC, Boston, Niagara Falls, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa) and my life away from home, as I came closer and closer to my new home in Vancouver. It’s amazing how much thinking, reflecting, reminiscing and contemplating one does when there’s free time, impressive scenery and comfortable seats in dome carriages!

So to sum up, I think VIA Rail has effectively targeted all of my needs. In my eyes, this has certainly added value to the service. Although I paid a lot for the ticket, I believe that I received great value in exchange – the service, unique experience, scenery, comfort, food (the list just goes on) certainly took me by surprise and I was impressed! I highly recommend VIA Rail.

P.S. I’ve heard that they have last minute specials (tickets sold 3-4 weeks before departure); there are heavy discounts of up to 80%!