The New Audience Will Define Itself, Thanks

Description

Q. If asked to introduce yourself, would you ever respond with something like, “I’m a single 18-34 year old male with a $50,000+ salary?”
A. Hell no.

Almost everyone in business still defines people in these boxes, and does a disservice to how we’re all individuals who define ourselves by what we love and believe in.

Today’s consumer, the “connected protagonist,” embodies the idea that everyone is the hero of their own story – and that with modern technology, every hero has a broad audience. In a world where people are eager to define themselves, why does the industry keep defining them by demos?

For tomorrow’s businesses and experiences to work, we need to cast off artificial parameters and look at how people want to be perceived by their own audiences. Abbie will examine ways to define audiences, and their audiences; the cultural currency that drives engagement for self-defined audiences; and how businesses should talk to people based on how they define themselves.

Questions Answered

Is the consumer data we collate today still relevant when it comes to our modern pragmatists? (What is the role of demographics in a world of self-identification? Do they simply go away?)
How much more effective is it for your business to reach people based on their self-definition?
Where has the power gone? Where do brands exist in this new world of contextual discovery?
What kind of social currency can you create based on self-identified interests/values?
What are the concerns involved in addressing people who are identifying themselves in outspoken ways, but still rightfully concerned about privacy?