Marketers are increasingly striving for higher marketing effectiveness, a state achieved when messaging successfully breaks through the attention barrier with emotionally engaging and creative content. To determine the right hook that will grasp audience attention, marketers must first identify the target audience they aim to captivate and then cultivate an intimate understanding of the said audience. Knowing who to target is uncovered through the consumer segmentation process, or ‘boxing the consumer’. Without target group definition, marketers are left relying on a vague and meaningless average, which falls short in providing the specifics necessary to captivate consumers by tapping into their needs and aspirations.
The quality of the box matters
The most easily accessible, packaged consumer profiles fall short in identifying meaningful differences in today’s rapidly changing consumer. The outdated methods for demographic separation of people contradicts the desire for diversity and inclusivity (D&I) within businesses, and are based on irrelevant historical and generalized segments. Instead, marketers must strive to dismantle rhetorical stereotypes and separate consumers into more meaningful boxes, based on factors that authentically drive and determine demand. This sophisticated approach is not only ethically superior, but also uncovers opportunities for your brand to unlock present demand and future growth.
The problem with the box is its walls
Human needs and behaviors are fluid and heavily influenced by diverse social, emotional, and situational contexts. By tapping into this contextual fluidity, marketers can embrace and respect the individual diversity of consumers. They come to recognize that individuals within the same consumer segment have different needs, passions, interests, or objectives depending on their real-life experiences. This empowers marketers to work wonders by tailoring specific products or messages to these distinctions, unlocking the precise hooks that seize the attention of the target audience. This process of ‘unboxing’ creates a more meaningful, intentional, and nuanced approach to segmentation. The result is a clearer path to ‘non-skippable’ creative and exceptional products.
When we eliminate the walls that divide us, we start to see the bridges that unite us.
This enables us to construct a broader-reach brand strategy. Understanding what differentiates consumers provides a deeper understanding of the common threads that connect them. This knowledge empowers marketers to expand their targeted strategies, reach a wider audience, and even target a mass audience across segments. Accelerated growth is achieved by widening the net beyond your target audience and establishing strong brand associations with key demand entry points and emotionally resonant themes.
Marketing effectiveness starts with breaking down the market into deliberately smaller, more meaningful human boxes, and understanding the nuances that exist within. Success is achieved when we eliminate the walls of division and ‘unbox the consumer’ to find fluidity and connection points. The result is out-of-the box growth.
Ready to unbox your consumer?
