Target Marketing & Target Marketing & Segmentation through Segmentation through

ResearchResearch

Objectives for Doing Objectives for Doing ResearchResearch

To help define positioning and strategy

To provide a basis for making decisions about campaign ideas

To provide a basis for final decisions about the suitability of a campaign to run

To help advertisers understand the impact of advertising after it has run

When To Research?: When To Research?: Planning Stage ResearchPlanning Stage Research

The objectives at this stage are to identify

1. At whom should the advertising be aimed?• Helps marketers develop a “richer” target market

profile

2. What makes our product unique?• Important attributes; usage occasion; etc.

Distinguishing Target Markets Distinguishing Target Markets from Market Segmentsfrom Market Segments

A market segment is a sub-population of a target market

Members of a market segment share similarities with members within the group

However, they differ on a specific criteria from the larger target market

Criteria For SegmentationCriteria For Segmentation

Unique Important distinctions can be made in terms of

targeting variables

Sizable The segment is large enough to be profitable

Reachable Consumers in the segment can be reached by

an appropriate marketing mix

When To Research?: When To Research?: Planning Stage ResearchPlanning Stage Research

3. What is the product/brand’s intended effect on the target market?

– Helps marketers identify benefits to the target market

– Helps to develop a brand positioning

Facilitated with Consumer Facilitated with Consumer InsightsInsights

A “nugget” of information that helps the marketer understand the consumer more deeply, simply, or clearly

It has the potential to competitively distinguish one brand from another

Where Do They Come From?Where Do They Come From?

Insights originate from a consumer perspective

Opportunities for generating insights may include: experience attitudes values needs perceptions feelings Others

Discovering Brand Discovering Brand Positioning OpportunitiesPositioning Opportunities

Research facilitates discovering of the brand positioning opportunity

That point or place where a the consumer insight connects with the brand insight

An understanding of what the brand offers that the consumer values

When To Research?: When To Research?: Planning Stage ResearchPlanning Stage Research

4. What is marketing communication’s intended effect on the target audience?

• What should be said? (message)• How should it be said? (tone, delivery)• Where/when should it be said (media

placement)

When To Research?: When To Research?: Campaign DevelopmentCampaign Development

During the pre-testing stage, research can facilitate direction in terms of

Creative Ideation

Conceptual development (roughs)

Copy development (communication)

When To Research?: Copy When To Research?: Copy Testing StageTesting Stage

Do marketing communications address the proposed communication strategy?

Recall: Jenny Craig Example“Willpower in my pocket”

When To Research?: Post-When To Research?: Post-testingtesting

After advertising or marketing communication exposure, results should be tracked against marketing and communication objects to aid in understanding what worked and what didn’t.

Caveats for ResearchCaveats for Research

Advertising’s effectiveness can not be evaluated in a vacuum (remember there are intervening variables)

Copy testing is an aid to decisions, it should not be the decision in an of itself.