The
Population Segments
In a competitive
environment, like the one we live in, it is difficult to be successful
with a product which is directed at everyone. Companies usually use
segmented marketing. Nowadays, companies
don’t direct their campaigns at the whole population but at
a specific group of people or at a specific area. This is what the
English call “Target Group”.
A popular saying says “you shouldn’t bite off more than
you can chew”.
Therefore,
when an advertising campaign is designed, it is designed to appeal
to the target group. To clarify the specific areas we want to use
we divide the population according to variables.
There are
lots of different variables that we can use. For example, a
small travel Agency in the USA, which can not compete in costs with
the big agencies, is currently very profitable thanks to creative
population segmentation. This Travel Agency organizes trips for Americans
with a Scottish surname to visit their ancestor’s homeland.
Therefore, this agency is segmenting the population according to their
surname and they send publicity in the post to all of the Americans
with Scottish surnames to give them the historic opportunity to go
to a reunion with all of the Americans with a Scottish surname in
a very noble castle in Scotland.
Normally,
to segment groups, we don’t just use one variable but various.
Therefore, you can carry out various population divisions with various
variables. For example, if we divide sexes, and then have 5 different
age ranges, we can carry out a first division of the population into
two and then we can divide the population according to ages, then
we only have 10 groups left.
To select
the variables we are going to use, we look for the variables which
have the greatest discriminatory power.
Variables with the greatest discriminatory power are the variables
which best separate the population groups according to their answer
to the marketing actions. For example, if a determined drink is consumed
by more women than men, the sex variable clearly divides the buyers
and the non buyers of the product. The drink Ponche Cabellero has
a masculine image and masculine consumers, whilst Baileys is mainly
consumed by women.
In order
to carry out population groups we can use some of the following common
variables:
Demographs.
One typical way to divide the population is with age, sex, marital
status and the number of children they have.
Social
and economic factors. Another way to segment is by using variables
related to class and social groups, professions or family income.
For example, we can focus our publicity at certain professions like
doctors or economists.
Other
types of variables are psychological. A large percentage of
publicity uses psychological variables to discriminate population
groups. In this sense, we can direct our publicity at extroverts,
sociable or timid people.
Often variables
are related to the consumption of the product. This way we differentiate
the population according to whether they are consumers of a certain
type of product, if they are consumers of a specific brand, the quantity
they consume and their commitment to a certain brand.
Therefore,
it is necessary not only to study the age and sex of the potential
consumers but also analyze the customs, feelings, consumer behaviour
and truly understand the consumers.
The following
example is an advert that is targeting women.
The following
example comes from the magazine mercadotecnia Adcebra.com.
The magazine
talks abut certain brands of pet food. The target audience is “pet
owners between 25 and 54 years old in socioeconomic groups A, B and
C+. People who consider their dogs and cats as part of the family
e.g. they regularly take their pets to the bet and follow the vet’s
recommendations regarding food and upkeep.
Another
example, is the following Quaker adverts.
After intensive
research to test flavours, packaging designs likely to be linked to
success, Quaker oat flakes launched new variants. The product is launched
with additional flavours, which are proved to be the most desired.
“There
is a new caramel-nut version – Nut and caramel and chocolate
fudge – thicker layer of chocolate – the Chewy Dipps are
directed at kids between 6 and 12 years old”.
