The Consumerist is posting leaked slides from Wal-Mart's new demographics campaign, otherwise titled "Wal-Mart Shopper Segmentation".
According to Wal-Mart, there are 3 types of shoppers:
Price-Value Shoppers
Brand Aspirationals
Price-Sensitive Affluents
Wal-Mart has gone to great lengths to define and identify each category of shopper:
Price-Value - The poorest among us. Loyal to Wal-Mart, to a fault. Primarily young, rural, Baptist women. Uneducated beyond high-school. More worried and in poorer health than average. Watches Lifetime and ABC Family. Reads Better Homes & Gardens. Drives a used car which he/she still owes money on.
Brand Aspirational - His/Her image does not fit with the reality of his/her economic situation. Often a racial minority. Less technologically savvy than other demographics. Sports oriented, with a skew towards the NFL. Watches Fox Sports and reads automotive, athletic and fitness magazines.
Price-Sensitive Affluent - Highest income category. White, male, over age 45, highly educated. Very technologically savvy. Will compare products on the internet then purchase them for a better price in a retail store. Watches PBS and The History Channel. Reads National Geographic. Owns a completely paid for vehicle that is a newer model and was new when purchased.
Here's my take:
Price-Value - Needs the most bang for their buck in order to survive. Can afford to eat healthier and clothe their children more effectively by shopping at Wal-Mart. Don't care where a product comes form if it's cheaper. Doesn't care that Wal-Mart employees are not paid fairly because these shoppers often work for minimum wage themselves. Only has Cable TV because their neighbor does. Game show - Deal or No Deal, because "It's OK to dream, isn't it?"
Brand-Aspirational - Can't afford to shop at The Gap or A&F, so they buy cheap knock-offs at Wal-Mart to boost their self-esteem. Doesn't care where a product comes from if it looks like a more expensive product. Doesn't care about Wal-Mart's treatment of their employees, because "It's, like, their fault they work at Wal-Mart". Owns a newer car that he/she owes more money on than it's worth because he/she rolled over the balance owing on his/her trade-in. Game show - Wheel of Fortune - "Because it's, like, soooo easy."
Price-Sensitive Affluents: Can afford whatever they want, but like to buy it cheaper so they can have more of it, even at the expense of child-labor and Wal-Mart's poor employment policies. Drive their 2006 Mercedes to Wal-Mart to save $65 over Amazon on an approximately $1800 50" Wega HDTV. Game show - Jeopary - "Because anything easier insults my intelligence."
Gah!
I might never set foot in Wal-Mart again. They have shattered my image of myself. I'm so ashamed.
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