The Importance of Alignment: Coordinating Consumer Segmentation, Reach and Brand Interests in Experiential Marketing

Written by PortMA

The Importance of Alignment: Coordinating Consumer Segmentation, Reach and Brand Interests in Experiential Marketing

One of our key objectives in marketing analytics is to show the campaign “reach.” “Reach” is how often the target consumer is reached at experiential events. Measuring “reach” ensures the field team is interacting with the right customer. If your brand is geared for millennial males, make sure you’re not activating at events that attract older women.

Know who to reach: Your target consumer.

Recently, we reported on a brand in the spirits industry that was facing a challenge with the audience they were reaching. The brand’s target consumer is a male between the ages of 25-34 years. Our analysis showed that the field team was engaging female consumers more frequently than they were the target consumer. On the one hand, this wasn’t a complete disaster; the female consumers reported high rates of purchase intent (at or above that of the target consumer). On the other hand, the primary objective of the program was to increase reach among the target consumer, so the program was falling short of its objective.

Target the right consumer at the right type of event.

We discovered that the nature of the events was, in large part, responsible for the disparity in consumer reach. Their brand teams were activating at “cause marketing” events in order to highlight their charitable outreach. These events attract women more frequently than men. We helped them to understand the impact of the event type relative to their objective.  This gave them the opportunity to make the adjustments they needed to reach the target consumer more often.
Beyond a broad demographic profile (age and gender), we often work with a more detailed consumer profile. In many cases, this is something the end client generates from the brand’s segmentation work. This information adds to the consumer profile we compile through our research.

Refine the consumer segment with our help.

In one case, we included two questions from a customer segmentation survey for a program involving pet food. It allowed us to categorize respondents to our exit survey by pet owner type. We were, therefore, able to analyze the data in a way that was more meaningful to the end client. The report showed how each pet owner segment responded to the events. We also showed what impact being a member of that segment had on their purchase intent and brand advocacy. This information helped to drive their marketing communication strategy for two of their biggest customer segments.

In conclusion

Whether it is our standard four-question exit survey or one that includes the brand’s customer segmentation, we are able to coordinate rates of consumer reach and segmentation. The field staff can adjust their approach to events and even help the brand team fine-tune their marketing approach.