Employing avatars to assess the financial and social impact of industry cycles on earnings and housing costs in regional Queensland

Customer avatars are employed to better understand the financial and social impact of industry cycles on earnings and housing occupancy costs, in regional Queensland. The avatars Doug, Zac, and Bernie, live and work in communities dominated by tourism, mining, and agriculture industries respectively. During the past 10 years their earnings and job security have experienced rises and falls, and this has had a profound impact on their financial wellbeing, and that of their avatar families. This paper commences with a review of existing research into the financial impacts of industry cycles on earnings and housing rents and prices. The review extends to consider the use of personas, or customer avatars, from marketing and systems research, to better understand and communicate the financial wellbeing of residents in communities subject to changes in financial security. The research then describes the development of the three fictious people, using statistics, to reveal their financial and social wellbeing.