Hbr Segment Market

314 Words2 Pages
In 1964, Daniel Yankelovich introduced in the pages of Harvard Business Review the concept of non-demographic segmentation, by which he meant the classification of consumers according to criteria as age, residence, income, and others. He argued that the predicted power of marketing studies based on demographics was no stronger enough to serve as a basis for marketing strategy. Buying patterns had become better guides to consumers’ future purchases. In addition, good constructed non-demographic segmentations could help companies to determine which products to develop, in which distribution channels to sell them, how much to charge for them and how to advertise them. But some years later, non-demographic segmentation has become as unenlightening as demographic segmentation had been. Today, the technique is used almost to fulfill the needs of advertising, which it serves mainly by people commercials which characters with whom viewers can identify. It is true that psychographics types like High-Tech Harry and Joe Six-Pack may take some truth about real people’s lifestyles, attitudes, self-image, and aspirations; but they are no better than demographics in predicting purchase behaviour. Now, Yankelovich returns to these pages with consultant David Meer, in order to argue the case for a broad view of non-demographic segmentation. They describe the elements of a smart segmentation strategy, explaining how segmentations meant to strengthen brand identify, to differ from those capable of telling a company in which markets it should enter and what goods to make. And finally, they introduce their “Gravity of decision spectrum”, a tool that focuses on the form of how consumer behaviour should be of the greatest interest to marketers (the importance that consumers place on a product or product category). This article includes a one-page that quickly summarizes the key ideas

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