Consumer segmentation systems have been around for a long while now in the commercial world. The junk mail you receive, the special on-line offers that clutter your inbox, even your in-store experiences are all influenced by the market segment you’ve been assigned — whether your among the ”Young Digerati,” the ”Multi-Culti Mosaic,” or the ”Shotguns & Pickups.”
Market segmentation systems gather all sorts of behavioral, economic, and social data and cluster people into bite-size chunks of marketing fodder, to increase efficiency in communications, and to clarify and hone the development of new products and services.
If the thought makes you queasy, get used to it.
Many nonprofits and even nonprofit arts organizations have also used segmentation models for decades now, usually drafting on the segments developed for consumer markets. A few consulting firms (like AMS Planning & Research) have adapted and adopted these models for arts marketing and planning. But there hasn’t been much publicly available that specifically relates to arts and culture audiences, patrons, and donors.
Thankfully, the gang at WolfBrown have decided to share theirs with the world. Building on the Value and Impact Study I mentioned a while back, they’ve developed market segments not only for ticket buyers, but for donors, as well.
How might you use the systems? Just imagine how your marketing and messaging might be different if you were speaking to a potential audience of ”Mavericks” or of “Serenity Seekers.” Or, imagine how your development approach might vary toward ”Intrinsics,” ”Networkers”, ”Co-Creators”, ”Marquee Donors,” or ”Youth-Focused” donors.
Will the new segments be useful? Only time will tell if the methodology produced productively unique clusters of values and preferences. But in the meanwhile, just the exercise of reviewing your organization’s engagement strategies against these archetypes should be well worth the time.
Give them a read! (scroll down the page to the ”Segmentation Study”).
Andrew:
These segments have already proven their value. Pleased that you mentioned them in your blog.
FYI, Alan Brown will be keynoting the Midwest Arts Conference, where there’ll also be workshops on the segmentation models. Workshops will also be held at Performing Arts Exchange and Western Arts Alliance.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this information!