Targeting Is the 'Courage to Choose'

Introduction to Marketing 2
Targeting Is the 'Courage to Choose'

Last time, I explained that branding is a 'promise'.
Who that promise is made to is the next step in marketing: 'targeting.' In marketing, there are few areas as prone to misunderstanding, or where companies feel as much hesitation, as targeting.

Many business owners tend to think that 'narrowing down the target too much will shrink the market.' It is true that if you look only at market size, it feels like the broader, the better. However, in reality, it is not that simple. This is because a product that is acceptable to everyone is, in most cases, a product that is special to no one.

If a company truly wants to succeed, it needs the 'courage to choose'.
In other words, it means clarifying 'who our customers are' and having the resolve to boldly discard other markets. This courage is what determines the success of a marketing strategy.

Looking at Apple makes this easy to understand. The iPhone product was not aimed at everyone from the start. Apple narrowed its target to a select group of people who were sensitive to technology and seeking a new lifestyle; by having those people become enthusiastic fans, it eventually permeated the masses as a result.

Another misunderstanding about targeting is trying to narrow down the target using only simple attributes like 'age' or 'gender.' But real consumers are more complex, making choices based on 'values' and 'lifestyles.' For example, when choosing a car, most people do not simply choose based on age or income, just as they choose based on desires such as 'how I want to be seen' or 'what kind of life I want to lead.'

It is important to deeply understand these values and lifestyles. Only by considering the context of how your product or service impacts the target's life can you create a message that reaches the customer's heart.

Targeting involves risk, but that is precisely why competitive advantage is born. There are already many competitors in safe markets that anyone can easily enter. However, if you can find a market that you truly understand and delve deep into it, you can exert an overwhelming presence there.

'Targeting' in marketing is not simply choosing a market. It is the very way of life of a company, choosing 'who we will live with'.

Next time, I would like to delve into the specific methods of how to communicate with this chosen target.

*The Introduction to Marketing in this article is a reorganization of part of the lecture from REACH REACH's 'Bootcamp'.
*'REACH REACH,' provided by the three companies MBS, Hakuhodo, and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, offers a strategic communication improvement program and helps with the rediscovery and valuation of disseminated information.