For real pragmatic discussion and insight into getting value from SM then I point to #smchat and its active participants.

http://wthashtag.com/Smchat
http://smchat.ning.com

Feel free to get involved - this is 'social media' after all

@PaulEllisUK

(cont.)

In regards to when and product review cycles - I would agree most segmentation is carried out post product creation (albeit this tends to be driven by a desire to be first to market then any other cause) but a responsive marketing strategist should have the analytical foundation to adjust marketing in response to observed reactions across different audience groups. This can be done as fast as the data collection and product development capabilities allow.

But fundementally I believe People buy emotionally and justify their decisions logically - and as such because people have different tastes - emotional stimulus and consequential reaction will differ and can be clustered through analysis.

I still think the key message in your theory is how granular a segmentation process should be for any given product or service - that I think is a key strategic decision to be assessed upfront when determining the basis for a marketing strategy.

Paul

Hi George

Thanks for your reply - I found your intial conjecture insightful and thought provoking hence my response.

Fundementally I agree that we are all influenced by many of the same things but I believe what differentiates our behaviour is our reaction to those common influences.

Consequently I feel it is the objective of a good marketing strategy to anticipate those differing reactions and identify MEANINGFUL segments and to address specific messaging regarding product or service capabilities to those segments.

The FMCG Brand practioners are good exemplars of creating reactionary responses that draw followers and cause influence that drives purchasing.

In B2B the broadest segmentation is surely the archetypal adoption curve for new products (Early Adopters, Late Majority etc) this is driven by reaction to risk which I would argue is a base ubiquitous motivator - however I would choose different messaging to address different parts of the adoption curve.

(tbc)