In fact, they will reject a company’s attempt to force its way into these webs of relationship. Customer communities are immune to spamming and irrelevant advertising. Unlike segments, communities are naturally formed by customers within the boundaries that they themselves define. In the digital economy, customers are socially connected with one another in horizontal webs of communities.

Many consider one-way messages from brands to be spam.īy having countless logo adaptations, MTV and Google remain solid yet flexible as brands Being “targets,” customers often feel intruded upon and annoyed by irrelevant messages aimed toward them. The involvement of customers is limited to their inputs in market research, which usually precede segmentation and targeting exercises. Marketers determine the variables that define the segments. Segmentation and targeting are unilateral decisions made by marketers without the consent of their customers. However, segmentation and targeting also exemplify the vertical relationship between a brand and its customers, analogous to hunter and prey. They also help marketers to serve multiple segments, each with differentiated offerings.

They allow for efficient resource allocation and sharper positioning. Segmentation and targeting are both fundamental aspects of a brand’s strategy. Segmentation is typically followed by targeting-a practice of selecting one or more segments that a brand is committed to pursue based on their attractiveness and fit with the brand. Traditionally, marketing always starts with segmentation-a practice of dividing the market into homogenous groups based on their geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral profiles. From segmentation and targeting to customer community con fi rmation

Digital activation strategy