The end of tea leaves?

Michael Fassnacht wrote an interesting article in Ad Age today, "The Death of Consumer Segmentation," his basic premise being that the traditional segmentation methods of geo- and demographic segmentation don't work.

What a shock.

They didn't work in the past; why should they work now?

For way too long marketers have attempted to understand purchase behavior based on surveys. If most of the people who purchase our product wear blue shirts, then we should market to people wearing blue shirts.

Or the better marketers tried to make sense of the numbers, sitting quietly in their armchairs, way up in their ivory castles, far removed from the consumer asking, "Why do people in blue shirts purchase more of our product?"

And a few even smarter, asked consumers, perhaps in focus groups, "Hey, you in the blue shirt, why did you buy our product?"

But none of this resulted in more effective marketing. Lots of numbers, lots of ideas, but not much better.

A very few have an even better idea, let's really get to know our consumer, not as an abstract set of numbers and abstract ideas, but as people, real people with needs, wants, aspirations, successes and failures. Really know them.

Then we might find segments that differ. And some might be worth more than others. But by knowing them intimately we will understand why they purchase, we'll be better able to help them purchase and they will be better satisfied with their purchase.

How could you ever expect to understand this by reading tables, charts and tea leaves?