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Political micro-segmentation becoming new norm

Political micro-segmentation becoming new norm

In April, we posted a piece on micro-segmentation, a growing marketing tactic that allows businesses to segment their audiences in the most precise way possible so as to keep up with increasingly specialized consumer wants. It’s an area in which we at Morris Creative have been developing our expertise and one that is fast becoming the force behind many of our clients’ success stories.

Despite its prevalence in the marketing realm, this useful technique is by no means solely relegated to the worlds of business and sales. Slowly but surely, micro-segmentation is permeating the political sector, catapulting the most savvy community leaders into public office one well-targeted vote at a time. And although on the surface, its use in politics may not seem that similar to its use in marketing, a closer look shows how similar the two actually are.

In business, micro-segmentation is a reaction to the increasingly intimate business-to-consumer relationship that has become commonplace in today’s market. In politics, the burgeoning media has facilitated a similarly intimate relationship between candidates and their constituents, increasing access both ways and making it more and more possible for candidates to determine the varying interests of various demographics. As a result, campaigning has changed, and tactics like micro-segmentation are becoming the norm in many winning candidates’ elections.

Believe it or not, we’ve all seen political micro-segmentation in action. Last year, Barack Obama used techniques like these in the most politically and technologically sophisticated election in the history of the world. His team used micro-segmentation, data mining and other tactics to target, evaluate and appeal to each and every demographic. With these same methods, they were also able to mobilize supporters Obama already had but who were unlikely to actually go vote. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney’s staff was recycling mass marketing techniques that, until recently, had always worked well enough. But they failed to fully utilize real-time outlets and social media and were considerably slower to adapt to changes among states and demographics throughout the course of the election itself.

The result? Well, suffice it to say the rest is history. Obama simply realized what Romney did not — that constituent wants are specialized, one size no longer fits all and the guy who buys stuff in the market is the same guy who votes. The landscape of campaigns is changing and politicians, like businesses, must adapt. Micro-segmentation is the new standard. If you have your sights set on holding office or expanding your business, it’s an approach you’ll want to explore. Just give us a call and we’ll do the rest.