Week 7 Reading Reflection

Reading Reflection:

Yankelovich & Meer: Rediscovering Market Segmentation

(Harvard Business Review, February 2006)

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 
-The biggest surprise for me during this reading would be the section about the post World War 2 buying patterns and how they changed in regards to consumption and price preferences. In my opinion, I thought that consumers with expensive tastes would more align so with less price conscious consumer decisions, but, in reality, the opposite occurred,

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
-One part that was confusing to me was that of that you could reach a target market with better success but still have no increase in sales or consumption just like Miller Lite did with its mud-wrestling campaign to reach younger males.

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?
-I would ask the author: 1) Do you believe that demographic attitudes toward consumer preferences are the most influential in the consumer's mind? and 2) Do you think attitudinal preferences are aligned with more the consumers family's interests or are they more influenced by outside sources such as TV or computer advertising?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?
-I do not believe the author was wrong about anything in this article but I might argue that the characteristics he states for consumer preferences might be a bit narrow in scope and he needs to further refine them to better fit the changing population.

-Mitch