Strategic Segmentation

MORI Research has been conducting segmentation research for more than 20 years. Much of it is tactical, for example analyzing audience segments for different kinds of entertainment or local news coverage.

We also have done extensive segmentation work with a strategic focus. Our early proprietary studies identified four segments of newspaper users: Loyal, At Risk, Potential and Poor Prospects. This analysis for the first time focused attention on different kinds of occasional readers as well as providing a segment ranking based on potential for readership. The model was adopted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors as a framework for numerous product development studies conducted by MORI.

Since that time the media world has become considerably more complex, and we have expanded the scope of our segmentation models. Our recent work focuses on multimedia usage and related attitudes and demographics which we use to identify targets for different media. The resulting segments have coherent and distinct “stories” that can be aligned with strategies for marketing, advertising, distribution and content. The model gives a much clearer picture of the client’s strategic position within its market.

We have applied these models to syndicated surveys (Scarborough and Gallup), which provide more information for profiling. Another recent development has been in applying this model to consumer databases managed by newspaper clients. This merger of attitudinal and behavioral data has the potential of markedly improving the efficacy of the consumer databases. We are working closely with database mining partner companies in this line of analysis.