Segmentation model based on data
It started with… "You know, I don't think I believe in segmentation anymore." She said it fast and softly, almost in hope that the sounds around us would make it inaudible. But we did hear it, and responded, "Well, we don't either."
From observing … "we were finding an increasing disconnect between telling people about segmentation, targeting and positioning on the one hand, and about the increasing shift of control from brands to consumers, on the other"
HBR presents a new kind of segmentation based the combinations of jobs that customers need to get done. Think Ted Levitt's famous comment about selling ¼ inch holes rather than ¼ inch electric drills. They provide this outline….
Step #1: Identify the contexts in which customers are using the company's products.
Step #2: Combine information about transactions and customer behaviour in the contexts to describe each of the jobs to be done
Step #3: Map individual customers to jobs, using the data.
A long time ago when writing My Digital Footprint I was thinking about new segmentation models - the one I focussed on was Trust. The longer version explain this is here …. http://www.mydigitalfootprint.com/2010/04/digital-footprint-evolution-and-social_1159.html
"The customer rarely buys what the business thinks it sells him." Peter Drucker.
HBR says: The problem is we don't know what kinds of jobs customers are going to need done unless we follow each customer's journey. www.iNeed.co.uk is my view on how we can deliver this. Disclaimer - I am a founder.
I would say: The problem is we don't know what customers will trust unless we know each customer's journey.
I totally agree = Big Data now lets us observe that journey. Segmentation is NOW more important than ever as technologically empowered customers have more choice and the ability to craft their own solutions.
Just firing up the Quattro again!