Are You Ignoring 1/4 of Your Potential Consumers?

Do you know your target audience?

Not just the demographic profile but the psychographic profile as well?

Focusing on consumer insight is an important first step in branding. Once you have figured out what you are saying, you really need to identify to whom you will say it.

Your current consumers. Your lost consumers. The consumers that aren't aware of you yet.

Who are they? What makes them tick?

Have you asked them yet?

A great article in Ad Age, "Millennials Are Evolving; Are You Keeping Up?" (reg. req.), recently discussed this very topic. MeganMeagher, a 25 year old Account Planner for Taxi in New York, analyzes her generation from a first hand perspective.

She realizes that there are very few companies that are actually targeting Gen Yers with their marketing. Even fewer are doing it well.

Millennials should not be ignored. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they will be the largest segment of the population in 2015.

So, what are Millennials looking for in a job, in a product, in a country?

New York Magazine, "Class of '09", decided to ask them directly and were surprised by the answers. As Gen Yers prepare to enter the workforce with personal and national debt at an all time high, it was refreshing to hear that the people surveyed weren't bitter but actually optimistic about the future.

How can you better target Gen Yers? Unless you sell memberships in AARP, you need to focus on this segment of the population. Don't ignore 1/4 of your potential consumers. Find out what appeals to them.

Jaci Russo

Sr. Partner/Brand Strategist

The Russo Group

photo credit: genystartup.com