Think Different

Marketing is all about standing out and being different. Yet new research shows that we marketers are remarkably similar to each other. Is our sameness a strength or weakness? Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect.

The research in question comes from BBH Labs. Its goal was to challenge our tendency to segment by generation.

To do this, researchers created what they call the Group Cohesion Score. Using a UK dataset from TGI, they measured the size of the average majority viewpoint across 400+ lifestyle statements. The result is a yardstick that can determine how likeminded various groups actually are.
The results are fascinating. First: it turns out that cohesion across generational groups is minimal.
Things got even more interesting when they compared various professions. Turns out that marketing is—by far—the most cohesive profession.

So BBH Labs didn’t only succeed in proving that generational segments are useless. They also showed why so many marketers still use them. The truth is: we’ve built ourselves an echo chamber.

Coming face to face with this truth is a little uncomfortable. But if we can break free of the bubble, it’s also an opportunity to zig while the rest are zagging. In all kinds of interesting ways.
The most obvious place to start is segmentation. If you’re relying on generational groups, it’s probably time to go back to the drawing board.
Or why not zag your way to a bigger budget by leaving the jargon bubble behind and learning to speak the language of the CFO?

The easiest way to break out of the bubble is to adjust your media diet. There are a handful of smart, opinionated folks out there who routinely poke holes in the echo chamber.
Beyond the aforementioned BBH Labs, we also encourage you to check out Mark Ritson, Rosie and Faris, Samuel Scott, Tom Roach and Mayur Gupta.
And, of course, the one and only Marketoonist.

Featured in Pause + Reflect

Pause + Reflect

Further Reading

Making Strategy Stick

Wiser Than Bud