Home KS4 A2 Opts Gall Dates KS3

No parts of this website maybe copied or reproduced without permission

Tuts

Research Specification Designing Evaluation Task Analysis

Making

Consumer Profile

Start Objs Ass Ext

A consumer profile is a way of describing a consumer categorically such as their behaviour, location, habits and so on which is important in targeting specific markets and for advertisement purposes. The techniques now used to gather such information are very sophisticated and demonstrate the importance of the knowledge-driven economy.

Successful marketing starts by knowing who your customers are and what they need and desire.
In other words understanding how they think, feel and behave.
There is no point wasting valuable time and money marketing your product to people who aren’t interested in what you are selling.

Consumers can be identified by many different preference, lifestyle, life stage, attribute, and trait categories. Thinking about consumers in terms of the way they are represented by categorical tiers can be useful:

Categories for describing consumers

Demographics

Demographics is how you would describe your customer in terms of age, where they live, gender, race, household size, income, occupation, education and country of birth.

For example, the demographics of a customer who buys VW golf GTI may be male, age 30- 45 years, white collar occupation, household income greater than 30,000 with children and targeting middle class, as well as the wealthier working class. Its high price makes the new Golf also target the upper middle class. The consumer will typically live in a three to four bedroom detached house. Golf’s five-door model accounts for 70 per cent of all GTI sales and the steering as been adjusted on the latest model so it can be set in comfort mode so that the Golf is smoothed out on bumpy access roads. This shows it is aimed as a family car not at the boy racer so to speak. Compare this to the consumer profile of someone who buys the Ford Focus ST a very similar car.

There are websites including government websites that are good sources of information to find out more about the demographics of the customers .

Psychographics

Psychographics is how you would describe your customers in terms of:

Interests – the key social interests your customers engage in e.g. Golf
General personality – the personality characteristics of your customers e.g. Conservative
Where they “hang out” – what places on and offline do they network, socialize etc.

If you know your customer’s psychographics you can target specific marketing strategies, promotional activities, sales drives and communication messages to your consumer. For example would the over 60’s generation use Internet, Facebook, Twitter and You tube advertising compared to someone in their late teens, early twenty’s?

Vids

A help sheet is shown below for the pages you are going to complete. This shows one of the possible ways how you can layout your sheet if you need help and guidance. It can be downloaded and printed via the printer icon. Also look at past examples for inspiration

An example of how to layout the consumer profile sheet is shown below. Remember you can use your own headings relevant to your own project. This shows one of the possible ways of how you can layout your sheet if you need help and guidance. How you lay this page out is again up to you, there are several ways. Remember space is limited in your folder so try and complete this on one page!

Visual Profile: Collect images related to your consumer

Set up a table and collect images that help to profile your consumer.
This is an effective method of collecting useful information quickly

Types

of Brands the Consumer would Buy

Types

of clothes the Consumer

would buy

Types

of Products the Consumer would buy

The

type of place the consumer would live

Hobbies

and interests

Customise your Table:

Try to set up your own headings that are suitable for your consumers characteristics and your task.
Other examples could include:
Favourite subjects in school.
Favourite type of holiday.
Type of music they listen to.

GCSE Assessment Criteria:

Investigating the Design Context (8 Marks)

I have selected only relevant research c
My research has helped influence my design c
I have understood and analysed (in detail)...

the design context c
existing products c
consumer/focused research c
as well as independent research c

I have a clear, detailed Design Specification which refers to the analysis undertaken c

My Target market has been identified and the intended consumer/user profiled c

I have understood and analysed...

the design context c
existing products c
as well as independent research c

I have a clear, detailed Design Specification which refers to the analysis undertaken c

My Target market has been identified c

Persona: Use the data you have collected and create an “imaginary” character or persona

The information that you have gathered should give you clear understanding of the general nature and characteristics of your typical intended consumer.

Use the data you have collected and create an “imaginary” character or persona.

Use that character to outline the characteristics of the user and their needs in relation to your design problem.

Produce a number of headings that you can use to describe the persona.

Write a description of the persona under each heading as if that persona had written it themselves:

Age
Background
There every day traits
Love & Hate
Any other Appropriate Headings

Give your character a name, be sensible.

“Hi my name is Joshua and I am 11 years old. I love to play outside making my tree house or with my favourite bike a “mountain Bike.”

The description of your imaginary charter should be a description of who your "typical“ intended consumer is. Use the list below to help you build up your persona. Hover over the page below.

General Characteristics

Age
Gender
Personality
Occupation (what job they have, how much they earn)
What appeals to them
Geographical Location (where they live e.g. in the city, countryside, anywhere)
Cost Limitation
General Likes and Dislikes
Preferred Brands and Products
Hobbies and interests

Consumer Profile

Types

of Brands the Consumer would Buy

Types

of clothes the Consumer

would buy

Types

of Products the Consumer would buy

The

type of place the consumer would live

Hobbies

and interests

Consumer Profile Persona:

Use the space to the side of your visual profile or below it to write up your persona. You can also add an image of your potential client from the Internet

Image

Consumer Profile

Types

of Brands the Consumer would Buy

Types

of clothes the Consumer

would buy

Types

of Products the Consumer would buy

The

type of place the consumer would live

Hobbies

and interests

DEMOGRAPHICS:

My name is Annie and I am 23 years old. I live in a shared apartment with three other people, this is when I’m not travelling the world because I’ve taken a gap year before I start working. I have just got out of university. I live in England.

PYSCHOGRAPHICS:

I enjoy travelling, mostly in India though. I love all the sites there but my favourite place to visit is the Banyan Tree Retreat Hotel in Hyderabad. My ideal day would start with me sitting under a banyan tree while the sun comes up and end with me watching the sun go down.

I love spicy foods like curry, chilli and peppers. I love trying foods that I haven't had before, I hate crowded places, so usually avoid main cities when I travel. I love most water sports, my favourite is water skiing!

Mark off where you would place yourself on the scale.

This is a very effective way of asking potential consumers about their values and believes.
It allows the consumer to voice how strongly they feel about something.
On one end you have a statement and on the other you have an opposite statement.
People are asked to mark off where on the line they place themselves and are asked to comment why they have placed themselves there.
Try and develop a question for each of the points of ACCESS FM.

I prefer products that look really good. I prefer form over function and this really appeals to me when choosing a product.

I prefer products that have lots of different functions. I prefer function over form and this really appeals to me when choosing a product. I prefer a product that can change style and has more than one function

Types

of Brands the Consumer would Buy

Types

of clothes the Consumer

would buy

Types

of Products the Consumer would buy

The

type of place the consumer would live

Hobbies

and interests

Consumer Profile Polls Apart

Use the space to the side of your visual profile or below it to write up your polls apart. Try and find out key information about the ACCESS FM points that will help you meet your consumers needs and wants

Below are some past examples of some past theme pages. Click on the pictures below:

Consumer Profile Examples

Starter Activity:

Copy the two pictorial words shown below, brush and shuttle. Start by drawing a light, accurate outline, then fit the letters in. Once you have the letters in place rub out the outline. Do a few practices and then do a full size drawing to fill an A4 sheet. When you have finished these have a go at the following words. SHARK, BRIDGE, PHONE. GUITAR

Lesson Objectives:

To produce a list of characteristics that a potential consumer has.

To list the key features they would want in a potential product.

You will learn about your potential client, likes, dislikes, spare disposable income etc.
You will Identify what features make a product innovative to your target market.

Lesson Outcomes:

Extension Task:

Now you have completed your consumer profile have a go out coming up with some design ideas that you think would appeal to your potential consumer. If you have space draw them on the consumer profile page.

Tut

Watch the video above regarding a deign that was technologically advance for its time. What do you think went wrong in terms of its consumer and marketing?

Who was the car aimed at? What problems could you see with this mode of transport?