Know Thy Audience

Think all chocolate is created equal? Think again.

In a very enlightening snippet from the Champion Assistants newsletter, principal Heather Nelson talks about the different between Hershey Kisses and Godiva. Studies (don't ask me which ones) have shown people prefer the taste of the cheaper chocolate brand over the elegant well-branded version. Why? Seems to be perceived value. People who like to eat chocolate prefer Hershey Kisses, while those who like to give chocolate prefer the brand and experience of Godiva. Seriously, single ladies out there, would you be more impressed if the date of the month presented you with an exquisitely wrapped, decadent Godiva or threw a bag of Hershey Kisses at you that he picked up at Walgreen's, along with razor blades and mouthwash?

Herein lies an important lesson about target audience. Your value propositions to the gift giver are much different than those to end consumer. Not saying taste doesn't factor in, but you could think of it in this very cursory way:

Gift Giver needs:

• Nice packaging
• Cache brand/quality
• Higher price point to be perceived as acceptable gift
• Delicious Taste

Chocolate consumer needs:

• Taste
• Value for money

"Give a gift that makes her feel special" is a very different positioning than "The most delicious chocolate." But too often marketers try to lump everyone into one category and forget about the different needs of different audiences. Tech companies do this constantly with "Our audience is line of business users and technical buyers." Yeah, right. Those two groups are discussing politics over the lunch table. One group needs usability and ease at any price; the other needs technical integrity, security and ROI. Not saying one group might not also care about what the other needs (ie, an IT department who is measured on user adoption and usage) but the lead is different.

As for me, I have to admit: I'd prefer popping some Hershey's Kisses but I'd prefer the pretty Godiva box come Valentine's Day.

PS: Champion Assistants is a virtual assistance company that can help you with anything that takes up your time in an unproductive way and hinders your ability to work on your core business: bookeeping, translation, graphic design, website programming, newsletters, contact database management, Internet research - you name it, they'll help you get it done. They are actually helping me with my bookeeping so I can focus on my clients. Tell Heather I sent you!