Say Goodbye to Traditional Demographics and Segmentation!

If you still segment customers in the traditional way like women or men 25-54, etc., you are stuck in history and missing how to access true consumer behavior today.

Social and Digital Media have created a new playground where common interests and shared valued cut across traditional demographics. Let me explain:

In today's world someone 21 years and younger or 50 and over will be put into a "box" and traditional marketers have preconceived notions about who they are, what their interests are, their lifestyle, etc. And if they do that new research is showing they will miss out on reaching their target. 

According to "learning.org),
Today’s consumers have become
• Producers of content
• Programmers of content
• Marketers of content
• Editors of content
• And publishers of content.

At the Norman Lear Center they argue we are in an "Attention Economy," Everyone is a brand, and every act of communication is also a media campaign to market that personal brand. And,
If you want to participate in social media, you must attract an audience.

Their strategy? Find out what entertains your target audience. And as I see the future, that's where we drop old demographics. The water cooler conversations cut across all ages and traditional demographics. My iTunes playlist is hipped than my daughter's, but marketers wouldn't know that because they have me in a traditional box.