Week 7 Reading Reflection

Rediscovering Market Segmentation:

1) One thing in the reading that really surprised me was how after the 1950's, consumer buying habits were unpredictable. This statement caught me off guard because I find it hard to believe that within a couple of years that consumer habits changed so drastically that they were untraceable. It was interesting to read about how after this point, consumer's tastes and preferences didn't match up with their age and income- but it was still cool to analyze.

2) The most confusing part of the reading was the part about "human types". When I think of the word "human types", I think about visual things such as demographics. Yet, in this article, it is referring to psychographics, which is human types in regard to people's lifestyles, values, and attitudes. I think it was initially confusing because I decided to infer what it meant in my head, and then later found out it was actually something different yet related.

3) I would first ask the author why he decided to write about market segmentation- to find his true motivation for the work. I think it is important to know why someone does what they do, to give even more meaning to the piece. After this, I would ask why it is unfortunate that not a lot of marketing chiefs have thought about their companies strategic decisions. I understand the obvious reasons, but I would just like to further know what the outcome of lack of strategic marketing would result in.

4) Although I do not think that the author was necessarily wrong about anything in the reading, I would alter the wording on the part that talks about how some segmentation initiatives have disappointed (page 131). I just think that the author's wording is very blunt, and some organizations may find this offensive. With the growing important of diversity in all businesses, I think it's important to observe even the smallest of things that might offend someone.