I always find it weird whenever we talk about people as consumers. I know what the word means, and I know why we use it but it still feels weird to me.

Why does it feel weird? There is a feeling of us being observers to a species called consumers. It feels very much like consumers are exhibits in a zoo, and the client and agency study them from the safety of a cage or a glass enclosure. It is as if client and agency people do not consume, as if we only produce and market the goods. As if the experience of being a consumer is an alien thing to client and agency.

I think we need to redefine the way we define the people or better still, the person, whom we talk to. Information like ABC class female from 25 to 45 years old with child of 1 to 10 years old is helpful if the actual work produced cover the range of class status, age difference and the gap in different mindsets. But most times either because of budget or some other reason, we end up with using just one single talent as a compact representative of the 25 to 45 years range.

In the movies, music, books and video games industries, they produce work defined in genres, and the genres depending on the content will determine if they are suitable for kids or adults. The genres themselves appeal to select groups of people.

In our business, we kind of produce work in genres too. There are comedy, drama, action, and even horror. Could this be a way to define the person we want to talk to? Maybe not but it is an interesting angle to me.

I feel that what we know about how we decipher information on the people or person we are targeting needs rethinking. We also need to think about how we filter information. And most importantly have the smarts and the courage to leave out the people on the fringe of the target.

Do we need someone who is a psychologist in our team to help us on the above? Should agencies have a research department in-house? What else can we do to understand our fellow human beings and ourselves better? Questions, questions, questions…

The views expressed in this article are personal opinions and do not represent the views of the respective agency.
Source: Brands Vietnam