Identifying Target Markets

Generational marketing is dead. Welcome to the Mindset Market. If you’re still designing experiences by age group, you’re already losing. Luxury guests don’t behave like Millennials, Gen X, or Boomers. They behave according to mindset, identity, and emotional intention. A 27-year-old and a 62-year-old can want the same thing: quiet belonging, social energy, creative inspiration, or total anonymity. Age doesn’t predict behaviour. Emotional context does. Here’s the framework I use with luxury hotels, members’ clubs, and F&B groups internationally, and why it’s now non-negotiable. -- 1. The Immersive Mindset: “Make me feel alive again.” This guest travels for energy, story, and stimulation. They want lighting that shifts with the night, design that feels cinematic, and moments worth retelling. What they buy - immersive concepts, cultural pulse, opening-night energy What they avoid - corporate sameness, passive service, rehearsed hospitality Design for them - bold programming, expressive talent, curated unpredictability 2. The Ease Mindset: “Remove friction. Let me breathe.” Their luxury is the absence of effort: seamless arrival, intuitive tech, emotional quiet. What they buy - privacy, predictability, soft-spoken excellence What they avoid - sensory clutter, over-talking, heavy ritual Design for them - calm acoustics, clean navigation, restrained choreography 3. The Status-without-Signalling Mindset: “Give me something money can’t easily access.” They don’t want VIP theatre. They want psychological altitude: insider access, cultural proximity, unadvertised moments. What they buy - rarity, intimacy, insider experiences What they avoid - mass-luxury signatures, influencer-engineered spaces Design for them - host-led rituals, micro-communities, selective invitations 4. The Belonging Mindset: “Who else is here? Who could I meet?” They choose hotels the way others choose members’ clubs: for human curation, not amenities. What they buy - communal tables, dynamic bars, shared rituals What they avoid - empty spaces, transactional energy, isolation Design for them - ambient connection points, extroverted programming -- The Diagnostic: The Only Question That Matters Stop asking, “How old is our guest?” Start asking, “What emotional state are they hiring us to create?” When you answer that, everything shifts: service, programming, pricing, design, and staff behaviour all realign around emotion, not demographics. Closing Thought: Luxury in 2026 will be won by brands that understand psychology, not personas. Guests don’t want to be categorised. They want to be understood. When you design for mindset instead of generation, you stop guessing and start delivering the version of your guest they’re trying to become. #LuxuryHospitality #ExperienceDesign #BehaviouralScience #BrandStrategy #GuestExperience #EmotionalHospitality #Leadership #HotelStrategy

Why hospitality is ignoring the Pareto Principle? The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that approximately 80% of outcomes or results come from about 20% of the causes or inputs, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the vital few to achieve significant results. Translated in hospitality-speak, The Pareto Principle means that hotels get 80% of their business from a handful of feeder markets. Quite often I hear OTA proponents claiming that “The OTAs can take your hotel's name to every corner of the world.” The question is: how many hotels need their name being taken to every corner of the world? Most hotels rely for their occupancies on a handful of feeder markets, not on random travelers from the other side of the world. This is the Pareto Principle at its best! Hoteliers have a great advantage over the OTAs: They know their property’s product and services much better than the OTAs. They know their guests and their preferences much better than the OTAs. Hoteliers know their local neighborhoods and immediate destinations far better than the “far and away”-based OTAs. Using the Pareto Principle, hoteliers can focus on their feeder markets and customer segments that generate 80% of their business thus being much more efficient than the OTAs. Here is how hoteliers can take advantage of the Pareto Principle: 1. Invest all of the property’s sales and marketing efforts in the feeder markets that generate 80% of the property business and do not allow the OTAs to encroach in these markets. The remaining 20% of the markets that generate only occasional bookings? Leave them to the OTAs. 2. Launch Google Ads (GA) campaign for your branded keyword terms to capture all friends and family referrals, repeat guests, etc. The goal is to “own” 100% SOV (share of voice) i.e. if there are 1000 searches for your property’s brand name, you should budget enough your GA listing to be served 100% of the time. You will be surprised how inexpensive these search campaigns are! 3. Launch Google Ads campaigns targeting your top feeder markets. Google allows your ads to be served only in your preferred geographical locations. Focus on long tail keyword terms that best describe your hotel location and hotel product Ex. Boutique hotel near Central Park NYC, hotel with rooftop bar midtown Manhattan, 4 star hotel near Central Park Manhattan, etc. Best practices: Aim at owning at least 50% of SOV. 4. Invest in Google Display Network (GDN) campaigns in your main feeder markets. The average CPM (cost per mille, or cost per 1,000 impressions) typically ranges from $3 to $5. 5. Invest in content marketing - the cheapest marketing format of them all. 6. Establish solid social media presence with original posts and useful content. 7. Take advantage of all the freebies out there: free Google Business Profile, free booking links on Google Hotel Ads, free listings in your feeder markets: business directories, CVB and Chamber of Commerce listings, etc.

I like to evaluate a dealership by hanging out in their waiting room and just watching everything unfold. You'd be surprised what you can learn about a place when the staff doesn't think anyone's paying attention. I'll see how they interact with customers at the cashier window, listen in on conversations as the sales folks walk through, and even check how clean the bathroom is. You can find out almost everything you need to know about a dealership from spending time in their waiting room. It's like going to dinner with someone new and seeing how they treat the waitstaff. That's likely how you'll be treated as their employee. If you’re interviewing at a new dealership, the waiting room reveals the true inner workings. Spend some time scoping out the scene yourself next time you visit a new dealership. Then you'll know if it's the right fit.

Here’s how I get to know the target audience for the brands I work with as a Designer. One mistake many brands make is this they create for themselves, not for their audience. They think their favorite color should be their brand color. They think what they like is automatically what their customers will like. But let me tell you the truth your brand is not about you. It’s about the people you want to reach. That’s why, before I ever design a logo or pick a color palette, I break down the target audience like I’m studying for an exam. Here’s my simple process: Step 1: Demographics I find out the basics which are age, gender, location, income level, and even profession. For example, a 23-year-old Gen Z fashion lover in Lagos will respond differently from a 45-year-old corporate executive in London. Step 2: Psychographics This is where I get into their lifestyle. What do they like? What kind of content makes them stop scrolling? Do they love minimal, clean designs or bold, playful visuals? Do they care more about status, or about functionality? Step 3: Pain Points & Desires Every audience has something that bothers them and something they secretly desire. I try to uncover both. Because a strong brand identity doesn’t just make your brand look good it makes your audience feel understood. Step 4: Translate into Design When I know the audience, I can choose colors that reflect their emotions, fonts that speak their language, and visuals they connect with instantly. That’s when a brand stops being just pretty and starts being powerful. This is why my designs connect. Because they’re not built on guesswork, but on understanding people. And this is what separates good design from design that actually sells. I’m Miracle Edet. I help brands build identities that connect deeply with their audience, attract attention, and convert into loyal customers. If you’re a founder or business owner who wants your brand to stand out in a crowded market, let’s work together. My Fellow Creatives, how do you get to know the target audience of the brands you work with?

The car industry has a bad reputation. Pushy salespeople, shady tactics, customers treated like numbers on a board – it’s enough to make anyone dread stepping foot in a dealership. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be that way. I believe in a different approach. One that prioritizes the customer, not the commission check. One that focuses on building relationships, not just closing deals. It starts with listening. Understanding what the customer truly needs, not just what I can sell them. It means offering honest advice, even if it means sacrificing a quick sale. Transparency is key. No hidden fees, no last-minute surprises, just straight talk and fair pricing. It’s about earning trust, not just making a buck. And it doesn’t end at the handshake. We must be committed to providing exceptional service long after the paperwork is signed. This is more than just a sales philosophy, it’s a mindset shift. It’s time for the car business to evolve. To move away from the transactional, high-pressure tactics of the past and embrace a customer-centric approach. That’s the kind of change I’m passionate about. And it’s the kind of business I’m proud to build.

🤖 1 in 3 travellers have turned to AI for recommendations when booking travel. This came out of a survey we ran amongst 2000 Americans (split evenly between travellers and hotel employees). Personally I use ChatGPT when I need inspiration for a leisure trip and don't have a specific destination in mind. It has gotten so good recently in recommending destinations with great beaches, close to coffee shops that serve flat whites (usually a sign of cooler neighbourhoods) and within 30 minute drive from the airport with direct flight connections to Amsterdam. How can hotels benefit from this new trend? A lot of the Large Language Models in AI feeds from customer reviews and social media, so you want to own that conversation. 1️⃣ Map our the buying personas for your brand. Who are the travellers you aim to attract to your hotel and what do they care about most when searching and booking accommodation? 2️⃣ Once you know which buyers, understand their motives. Do a qualitative and quantitative survey amongst those travellers, to understand what they are looking for when they book your hotel. What are the specific words/attributes they search for when booking a destination/hotel. 3️⃣ Set up smart online advertising campaigns that attract these customers that fit the buying personas. The more travellers you bring in with the right profile, the larger the pool of potential customers using the right language when talking about your hotel afterwards. 4️⃣ Have an online content strategy that accentuates the usage of those attributes in online media by travellers in both reviews and social media. Have a solution in place that drives more reviews from the right customer segments (volume matters in large language models) like Shiji ReviewPro, Revinate or TrustYou. 5️⃣ Make sure you have team members engage with the reviews, again using the right language that supports the strategy. Also hotels that engage positively with reviews, generally see that customers are more likely to leave a review, knowing that the hotel is paying attention. 6️⃣ Ensure you have a website with lots of content and blogposts leaning into all the same buying personas. For example if you are targeting someone like me, write a blog about the best flat whites within a 15 minute walking distance. Most hotel websites are basic and I often turn to the OTA's if I want to find out if the hotel has a gym or allows for dogs. There is no acceptable reason your own website should have less content than a 3rd party. These are all very deliberate strategies, and it takes a lot of hard work. But it is clear that travellers are moving in this direction fast, and traditional marketing needs to shift. This is a really exciting opportunity for our industry!

In tech, second place = you lose. Which is why I help my clients own their category. Like our clients Uber & urban logistics.
 Or like Qualtrics & Experience Management.
 Or Clari & RevOps. And while success is never guaranteed, great strategy gives our clients 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗱𝗱𝘀 at success. If you want to do the same, the path to leadership starts with a single question: “𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝘂𝗻?” There are 4. 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘 e.g. Salesforce, OpenAI, Uber, Stripe, Google Docs, Figma, Shopify, AWS Category creators invent a completely new product that addresses unmet customer needs. This is the play most people know about (but not always the best move). Choose create if no existing category comes close to your product vision. 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠 e.g. Tesla, iPhone, Slack, Facebook, Chrome, Zoom Category transformers change an existing category to become its leader. Electric cars existed before Tesla. We had smartphones years before Apple’s iPhone. MySpace was huge before Facebook. These companies took an existing category and changed our image of what it could be - to become its leader.  𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗘 e.g. LinkedIn, Hubspot, Webflow Niche down so you own a subset of a larger category. This is the easiest, most straight-forward play - and because of this, there’s often less upside. Choose Niche if you don’t have the innovation to create a category or the juice to transform and overtake an existing category leader - but you can identify a segment or mindset in that category with unmet needs. 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗢 e.g. Notion, Superhuman, Snap Solo is special. These are product and brand experiences that are so totally different, they become a category of one in the mind of the customers. Porsche is an example. Superhuman is another. They aren't #1 in their rational categories but for the right customer, there’s no replacement for what they do. These companies tend to be masters of vibe, voice, look and feel - stylistic things. Notion is a perfect example of how a tech company can win with style, not just features. Choose Solo if you’re building a product in an existing category, but you have an iconoclast founder that has a knack for doing everything in a unique way. Each play requires different strategy, product, and marketing. The goal of running these plays is to someday LEAD a category and become IRREPLACEABLE. Make sure you decide this before you write your strategic narrative. And remember: never mess with junk positioning that has you playing for second. #businessstrategy #categorydesign #startups

How are you training your staff to meet customer needs? At Sutherlin Automotive Group, we do this in several ways... 1. Every staff member is a product expert We require every customer-facing employee to get their OEM certification(s) so that any one of them can answer customer questions about our inventory. 2. Staff cross-trains for more cohesion across the customer journey Our sales staff shadows fixed ops and vice versa. These are our focus areas right now, but we also offer other positions cross-training opportunities. Not only does it improve customer experience, but it gives staff more future career paths and exposes them to other areas of the business for their own enrichment. 3. Consistent management training Managers need to do all the training their departments do for any new processes, etc., but they also get consistent management training and are trained in utilizing forecasting for meeting their targets. What else are we doing/planning to improve the customer experience? Decreasing wait times, improving customer service, offering mobile service and pick-up/drop-off service for customers... Most dealers are hyper-focused on sales when they should be hyper-focused on delivering an incredible experience to existing customers. #autoretail #customerexperience

"How do I know which category I belong in?" It sounds simple, but getting this wrong can tank your retail success before you even start. Here's my framework for product categorization: 1️⃣ Start with your product descriptor: This isn't your brand name or flavor. It's the 2-3 words that tell someone exactly what your product is. The key? Your descriptor should NATURALLY categorize your product (+ it needs to be on your packaging right on the front): - "Plant-based yogurt" → dairy/yogurt section - "Collagen powder" → supplements - "Date sugar" → baking/sweeteners 2️⃣ Understand your customer use case: This is CRITICAL and often overlooked. Where would your customer logically look for your product or look to use your product? Example: A protein cookie could go in: → Supplements (for fitness folks) → Natural snacks (for healthy snackers) → Cookie aisle (for better-for-you treat seekers) The right answer? Wherever your core customer would look first! 3️⃣ Define your value-add: Who are you an alternative for and why? This helps pinpoint your exact category placement. For example: - Are you a healthier alternative? → Natural section - A premium option? → Specialty section - A convenient version? → Grab-and-go area 4️⃣ Validate with retail visits: Double-check your choice by doing the research.→ Visit 3+ retailers (mix of conventional & natural) → Check Amazon & Walmart's categorization → Map how each organizes similar products 🌟 Reality check: 🌟 Your category isn't just about where YOU think you belong. It's about: - Where buyers will place you - Where customers will look for you - Where you'll actually succeed on shelf Pro tip: Your category might shift slightly between retailers. That's ok! What matters is that you understand how each retailer organizes their products, so you can speak their language and meet your customer where they shop.

𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒚: 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒚 25% 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅. In a competitive market like footwear, standing out and driving sales requires strategy and precision. Here’s how our brand leveraged targeted ads to achieve a 25% sales boost in just 3 months. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 Despite having a solid product range, we faced: - A plateau in online sales growth. - Low ROI on generic ads. - Inefficient audience targeting leading to missed opportunities. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆. To increase sales by 25% while maximizing the return on our advertising spend. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚. 1. 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑨𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉. We identified our ideal customers by analyzing: - Purchase data (age, gender, location). - Interests and behaviors. - Seasonal demand patterns (boots in winter, sandals in summer). 2. 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂-𝑫𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒅 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. Using the insights, we created custom audience segments: 3. 𝑳𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔. - Facebook/Instagram: Used for visual storytelling and direct engagement with younger audiences. - Google Ads: Targeted high-intent users with shopping campaigns and search ads. - Retargeting campaigns: Focused on cart abandoners and past visitors. 4. 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. - High-quality visuals showcasing shoes in real-life scenarios. - Video ads highlighting unique features, like waterproofing or durability. - Clear CTAs like “Shop Now”. 5. 𝑨/𝑩 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑶𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. - Tested multiple headlines, creatives, and formats. - Monitored performance metrics daily, tweaking underperforming ads. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔: In 3 months, we achieved: - 25% increase in sales: Primarily driven by personalized, high-converting ads. - 40% lower CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): - Engagement uplift: 2x increase in CTRs (Click-Through Rates). 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔. - Know your audience inside-out. - Prioritize ad creatives that resonate with specific customer needs. - Constantly test and refine campaigns based on performance data. ___________ 𝐏𝐒: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬? 𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞 "𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐬" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!