Saturday, January 22, 2022
Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR
Consumers can be categorized into different types based on their key attitudes and behaviors, and other demographic factors. Consumer types are defined in great part by age, gender, and the economic bracket they belong to. Nowadays, they cannot be divided into rough groupings because they possess idiosyncratic characteristics that make them distinct. There are consumers who define themselves by their choices rather than by the culture or ethnicity they are born into. They align themselves freely with all that the world has to offer, and leap over cultural differences and social boundaries as if they don’t exist.
These individuals can safely be called ‘culture crossers’. To market to them effectively, marketers have to take to new media formats, some of which are discussed below.
Magazines – Some businesses like Airbnb, Bumble, and Callaway, have launched magazines associated with their respective industries in order to market their brands on a new platform, a good advantage for good digital PR firms. Full-page magazine ads rich with color and visual imagery can enhance the appeal of products. ‘Culture crossers’ normally focus on lifestyle, sports, travel, or design, and the more unusual the content is, the more suitable it is for them. Due to the fact that many magazines are read by niche enthusiasts, there is often a high level of reader involvement. Since the reader is likely to be highly engaged with the subject matter, relevant ads are much more likely to be of interest. Ads in magazines also have a longer shelf life, as people hold on to magazines for weeks and months. They are also shared among friends and colleagues, which further increase the viability of an ad.
Blogs – As Miami’s Marc Roberts notes, Blogs have a tremendous amount of impact on culture crossers. They are the easiest, most timely way to keep up with new ideas. Blogs help with the multimedia representation of a business, and keep the audience interested. They are useful for businesses that are trying to boost website traffic, and can help businesses target individuals who legitimately want and need their services and products. For instance, the blog ‘the Art of Manliness’ produces informational blog posts related to men’s interests and lifestyle topics. They have a loyal audience.
Zines –Zines can be considered as blogs in an offline format. They are a powerful means of sharing ideas that are not deemed as important in mainstream culture, giving voice to those who aren’t usually heard by big publishers. Businesses don’t have to be pros to put ads out in zines. All they have to do is write an article about their product or service that is relevant to the subscribers of a given zine. These idiosyncratic magazines are a particular favorite with culture crossers because they make it easy for them to keep track of what is cutting edge all over the world. Like the rest of their content, the ads in zines are mostly wacky, and can boost audience engagement. For instance, HelloFresh, a meal kit company, regularly publishes ads about their sale in zines.