Who are you?

There are many ways to describe who I am to a marketer. Demographically speaking, I am a 22 year-old Caucasian male from the upper-middle class of the Midwestern United States. I am college educated, technologically savvy, slightly athletic and have a strong interest in pop culture.

In regard to psychographics, I am a musician who tends to gravitate toward music and creating my own art. I also enjoy people watching and learning about history, new technology, politics and sociology. I am pursuing a career in public relations, a field that is highly communicative and fast-paced.

I do not think that it is necessarily "fair" for marketers to create unrealistic expectations of who we ought to be. This, however, does not mean that they do not utilize such practices. An unrealistic expectation would be that I plan to become a grad student and need a more high-powered laptop. In reality, I will probably keep my old computer and use a newer one provided by my new employer. It is also slightly unfair to make the assumption that I will get married and have children at a certain age and market to my age group based on this statistical analysis.

Conversely, I understand marketer's need to assess each age group or cultural group in order to more effectively use marketing dollars to increase sales or improve reputation. Statistical data and trends can be a highly effective tool in ensuring that the correct target audience is being reached. When utilized correctly, this can be a mutually beneficial relationship, provided both businesses and consumers with the best value possible for a product or a service.

On a personal level, I disagree with the notion of tattoos and cosmetic surgery. However, I do see and understand the value that some place on have such modifications to their bodies. Tattoos can be a form of self-expression, but this does not exclude them from the stigma that society may place on having one. A mistake marketers should be careful to avoid is assuming that having a tattoo or cosmetic surgery automatically means that you fall under a certain category of purchasing power or demographic. Essentially, there is an extremely wide variety of consumers that have had tattoos or cosmetic surgery, therefore making marketing campaigns not necessarily applicable to all who have had that type of modification.

Journal “Who are you? Tell your story as you would to a marketer. Do you think that it is fair of marketers to create unrealistic expectations of who we ought to be? How do you feel about tattoos and cosmetic surgery?”