As marketers, we know that consumers' demographics and psychographics heavily influence their purchasing decisions. The best way to see through the eyes of consumers is to attempt as best you can to put yourself in their shoes. Literally. In an article published by WSJ, Gina Chon discusses how some companies create persona rooms that mirror the living environments of typical target customers. Crafting made-up consumer profiles is a relatively common practice in the marketing industry, but designing a living space for a fake consumer really goes the extra mile. Just how much can this marketing tactic reveal about the target audience? Below, I’ll be discussing why I find this practice so intriguing and how this perspective could serve as an asset for brands and companies.
There are a handful of ways that marketers could attempt to understand the minds of their consumers. Some common ways are surveys and questionnaires, observational research, social media analytics, etc. However, utilizing this creative approach of creating a persona room is by far the most unique way that I have heard of to achieve this insight. We all know that you can instantly tell a lot about a person when you enter their bedroom. By creating physical environments that mirror the everyday settings of their target customers, marketers are able to dive deeply into the lives and perspectives of the consumers they seek to engage. Understanding a minor detail about your target audience, such as whether they make their bed or not, could provide the crucial insight needed to enhance how your product or service meets their needs.
Not only would it benefit to know how you could better assist your customers, but this creative process would also allow companies to empathize with their consumers and understand what drives and motivates them. I believe that this element of sympathizing makes the relationship with your target audience more personable and less transactional. Cultivating this level of credibility grants your marketing objectives to be more authentic, which will naturally make your brand stand out in the eyes of consumers. In my Global Marketing class that was taught by Dr. Maria Kniazeva, one of our classes was spent generating a made-up person who would represent a consumer of Illy coffee in the US. We made up very specific aspects of her life, including details like her preferred brands of water and her clothing style. This was by far my favorite activity, as it reinforced the idea of how this process can help brands develop resonant marketing messages that potentially enhance customer loyalty and advocacy.
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