Behaviour versus demographics: Why the term ‘millennial’ is useless

    Group of diverse teenagers standing together and smiling for the camera. Horizontal shot.

    Marketers need to focus more on consumer behaviour rather than segmenting people simply by generation, according to two new studies.

    Marketers need to move beyond demographic data and “lazy” terms such as ‘millennial’ when creating customer segmentations, new research claims. Two separate studies find that patterns of behaviour and attitudes are more appropriate tools for targeting consumers than broad generational segments.

    These findings tally with the views of Marketing Week columnist Mark Ritson, who has argued that catch-all generational terms often lead marketers to ignore the nuanced differences within their target audience. “If you buy the idea of millennials, then you must, by definition, reject the concept of proper segmentation and of consumers holding different perceptions and experiences,” he says.

    READ MORE: Mark Ritson – Millennials are out; blah blahs are your next target group

    The Empowered Customer Segmentation by market research group Forrester seeks to move away from demographic segments and instead group consumers according to how they respond to new products and technology. From a survey of more than 30,000 adults across nine European countries – including more than 6,000 UK respondents – Forrester has created five new segments that it believes brands should consider when marketing goods and services.

    Bron en volledig artikel: Marketingweek