Consumer Segmentation Can Be Counterproductive
The process of segmentation is a process of exclusion. It discounts consumers who are not members of a target segment. And they might add up to being a sizeable number, even if not so similar to one another as to be neatly clusterable.Harley-Davidson eschews segmentation, or at least is so subtle (not excessive) about it that you never sense that Harley prizes one category of consumer over another. The company avoids running ads in which you can tell the age of a biker poised on his (or maybe her) prized bike. Yes, often you cannot even tell the gender of the rider.
New Balance similarly makes people in its ads so indistinct that you can’t tell their age. This is one reason why New Balance, whose growth is outpacing even mighty Nike, has a broader age appeal than its competitors.
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