Open Season
We've all heard about metrosexuals-fashion-forward guys who get more facials than their female counterparts. Smart marketers should pay attention to other new market sectors as well, says Ann Fishman, president of Generational Targeted Marketing Corp. in New Orleans. Some groups to consider:
- Urban Ritualists:
- These Gen Xers enjoy life to the max and pay big bucks for higher-quality clothing, furniture and other creature comforts.
- Re-Juveniles:
- These adults buy toys and games for themselves. Says Fishman, "These [Gen Xers] seek refuge from a post-9/11 world by revisiting the comforts of childhood."
Richard Laermer, author of Trendspotting: Think Forward, Get Ahead, and Cash In on the Future (Perigree) and president of RLM Public Relations Inc. in Los Angeles, points out other categories:
- Disposables:
- Obsessed with convenience, "disposables" are consumers likely to buy on the cheap and get rid of purchases--including low-end cars and computers--when they lose their novelty.
- Conscious Consumers:
- A throwback to their WW II grandparents, this group looks for the "Made in America" label while searching for environmentally friendly companies. Reflect their core values, and you've got fiercely loyal new customers.
Are you in need of some temporary marketing muscle?
MarketFitz
Inc., a Seattle-based company that provides outsourced
marketing and consulting, lets you rent a professional. For about
$40 to $120 per hour--MarketFitz pays payroll taxes and
benefits--this high-end temp agency will set you up with an
experienced marketer, either on-site or off. This "try before
you buy" solution lets you work with candidates before
bringing them on permanently or lets you fill in short-term gaps in
your staffing, such as a staffer's leave. For the price of a
marketing director's salary, the company outfitted one regional
law firm with a part-time team that included a marketing director,
a marketing coordinator, a PR manager, a creative director and a
graphic designer. Try finding that in a one-person package.
25%
of online business searches in the United States are for local retailers.
SOURCE: The Kelsey Group/BizRate.com
In a 2003 survey57%
of U.S. e-mail users had bought something online in the past year because of permission marketing message.
SOURCE: Quris Inc.
Gwen Moran is a consultant and writer specializing in marketing. Reach her at moranmarketing@erols.com.
This article was originally published in the May 2004 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Marketing Buzz 05/04.
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