Posted by Brian Berg Google+
Selecting a consumer mailing list for residents of New York can seem like an ample task for even seasoned direct mail marketers. The Big Apple is a virtual melting pot of cultures, races, religions, ages and lifestyles and making sure that your marketing piece ends up in the hands of your ideal target can be a crapshoot. Our continuing blog series takes a look at the people and neighborhoods that make up the five boroughs of New York City and gives marketers an in-depth understanding of the complex demographic scenarios that can occur when selecting a consumer mailing list of New Yorkers.
Our BB Direct Blog Series, ‘Hot Town, Summer in the City’ takes us to Queens, NY this week. Queens is a very culturally diverse borough that includes suburban areas and bustling urban centers like Flushing. Whether catching a Mets game or some rays at the Rockaways, Queens residents enjoy even the dog days of summer! Understanding your market, whether it's the boroughs of New York City, or a small town in Indiana, is essential to developing your communication with your audience. If your target audience includes consumers within Queens, read on to learn more about how they spend their summer days.
Queens is the largest in area, the second largest in population, and the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. Located on the western portion of Long Island, Queens is home to two of the three major New York City area airports, JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. It is also the location of the New York Mets baseball team, the US Open tennis tournament, Flushing Meadows Park, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silvercup Studios, and Aqueduct Racetrack.
As of the 2005 American Community Survey, immigrants comprise 47.6% of Queens residents. With a population of 2.3 million it is the second most populous borough in New York City (behind Brooklyn) and the tenth most populous county in the United States. It is also the nation's fourth-most-densely populated county (after the counties covering Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx). The 2.3 million figure is the highest historical population for the borough. Were each borough an independent city, Brooklyn and Queens would be the country's third and fourth largest cities, respectively, after Los Angeles and Chicago.
Queens was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties of New York and was supposedly named for the Queen consort, Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese princess who married King Charles II of England in 1662.
The borough is considered one of the more suburban boroughs of New York City. The neighborhoods in eastern Queens have a look and feel similar to the bordering suburbs of western Nassau County. In its northwestern section, however, Queens is home to many urban neighborhoods and several central business districts. One of the largest, best known urban neighborhoods in Queens is Flushing.
The neighborhood of Flushing, located in north central Queens, has a rich history steeped in religious tolerance and cultural diversity. Founded in 1645, Flushing was the first permanent settlement in Queens. It is also considered the birthplace of religious freedom in North America, where settlers issued the “Flushing Remonstrance” in 1657, defying Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s demand that the town expel Quakers and other religious groups. Today, there are more than 200 houses of worship in Flushing, including the Old Quaker Meeting House (the oldest house of worship in New York State).
Beginning in the 1980s, a wave of immigration transformed Flushing into one of the most ethnically diverse communities in Queens, which is New York City’s most diverse borough. Today, the greater Flushing area has the third-largest concentration of immigrants in New York City, with slightly more than half of its population born outside the United States. Residents from China and Korea are the most numerous, and have made Flushing a thriving economic community and center for Asian culture. Downtown Flushing is a major transportation hub, which has helped the area’s economic development and resiliency. Flushing has added jobs every year since 2005, even during the Great Recession. Small businesses are a major source of jobs, and have expanded at a faster rate than in the rest of the City. With an increasing concentration of doctors’ offices in the area, health care and social assistance have accounted for significant growth in jobs and small businesses.
Summer is a hot time of the year in Queens and Flushing and it’s not due to warm tempetures. Queens residents love to get out and enjoy their borough. While the borough is home to many great beaches, especially in the Rockaways, many special events happen throughout the summer including the US Open, Dragon Boat Races and the Bohemian Beer Garden.
Of course there are many of unique and diverse neighborhoods throughout New York City, but one things remains the same, the island is filled with many vibrant communities made up of many different residents. Understanding each neighborhood and its variety of residents when choosing a consumer mailing list can be an arduous task. With so many different demographics, who do you target? Our BB Direct Data Team understands marketers targeting dilemmas and are experts at locating a consumer mailing list that produces results!