Transcript Demographics

Looking at your target area and your
consumer profile
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The study of obvious
characteristics that
categorize people
Can include:
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Age
Gender
Family life cycle
Income level
Ethnicity and culture
Each characteristic is
then split up into
variables or ranges
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Can be split into 7
different ranges
◦ 0-9: Pre-customers
◦ 10-15: Allowance
customers
◦ 16-19: Youth Market
◦ 20-25: Post-secondary
Market
◦ 25-40: Family Formation
(nesters)
◦ 40-55: Establishment
◦ 55+: Mature Market
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Gender roles have drastically changed in the
past 50 years
In the past, most products were marketed
towards men to reflect the culture of the
day (men make the decisions, women stay
home and look after the family)
Now, most products are
marketed towards both males
and females as most purchase
decisions are shared
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A consumers family life cycle determines
many of their wants, needs, and purchasing
patterns
Although a company can sell their products
to various groups, they will tailor their
marketing towards each group
Example – Cruise Line
 Honeymoon for newly married
 Exciting adventure for singles
 Family holiday for couples with
families
 Dream vacation for retired couple
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Group consumers according to how much
money they earn
The affluent group is willing to buy items
that middle income groups can not afford
 Kia vs. Mercedes
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Businesses use the following indicators to
determine the income of specific groups of
consumers:
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Postal Codes
Employment
Number of children
Education
Property ownership
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Businesses that do not understand the culture
of their consumers risk offending them
This is especially relevant for companies
looking to export to another country
Colour has different meanings in different
countries
◦ In China, white mourns death
while red is worn by brides on
their wedding day
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A system for measuring consumers’ beliefs,
opinions, and interests
Similar to demographics but instead of obvious
categories, it profile consumers based on their
religious beliefs, tastes in music, lifestyle, attitudes
towards health, personality traits, and other
psychological factors
For example, people who exercise
are more likely to buy healthy, low
fat foods
They are much harder to collect and
measure, but no less important to a
consumer profile
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There are 3 main categories that marketers
look at:
◦ Urban
 Lives within the boundaries of a city, apartments or
houses with small yards, spends $ on cultural events,
restaurants, parking, and public transportation, various
levels of income
◦ Suburban
 Typically needs at least 1 car, spends $ on garden, BBQ’s,
household furnishings, almost always a commuter, high
income
◦ Rural
 Usually own a truck or all wheel drive vehicle, have large
pieces of land, riding mowers, larger gardens, lower/medium
income
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Marketers are also interested in ethnic concentrations
in order to target specific products to specific cultures
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Using the Stats Can website, you are to
compare your target area with your consumer
profile to determine whether it is a good fit.
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dppd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E