Segmentation - Week 5

This week I found the VALS survey and the PRIZM Market Segmentation tools to be very enlightening. I have given my zip code countless times in stores, however I have never seen the outcome from those data collection processes. I found it interesting to see the trends in my neighborhood as well as the funny titles they give each area. I enjoyed figuring out where and if I fit into my neighborhoods trends. I think these tools will be valuable when creating our sexual health campaign/message.

Again, the theme of this weeks lecture seems to reiterate the importance of thoroughly understanding your target audience. This weeks lecture on psychographics added depth to the multifaceted approach necessary to understand target audiences. Not only must we understand the culture, acculturation, language and need of our audience, we also need to understand their knowledge, attitudes, skills, intentions to change a behavior, etc.

I agree with Melissa's post this week regarding the difficulties associated with choosing the most appropriate variables of interest for each target audience. On the surface, it seems adequate to group people as vegetarian, vegan, meat eaters and so forth. However, the reasons they are in each category can vary drastically. This will be an important factor to focus on while creating our STI screening message(s). I look forward to analyzing the feedback from our individual interviews with SDSU women regarding their needs and reason for accessing gynecological care from Student Health Services. This step will assist us in further narrowing our target audience and matching a message to meet their needs.

Cody