Marketers sometimes refer to groups of people as “target markets” or “target audiences.” We are all consumers. How does it feel to be considered a target? Does it feel a little dismissive or disrespectful, to imagine that the brands you love so much think of you as just another walking wallet, a mindless easily led mark with a target on your back? Is that the reward for brand loyalty?
What if we spoke to our customer as if they were real people? People just like us, with hopes and fears and dreams and desires. Just like us. There is no us versus them, it’s all just us, as the saying goes.
I attended a brand workshop today for startups. I guess I fall into the startup category, having just launched my research business a couple months ago. I learned some things about branding. I also was reminded that all of marketing is about people. Customers are people, marketers are people, and people are not targets.
I’m going to stop calling groups of consumers “target markets.” From now on I will call them “people.”
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