Acquity adds values to prospect pool

Customer insight agency Acquity has overlaid results of an attitudinal survey to Continuum, its database of every individual in the UK. Values identifies the emotional drivers behind response, allowing advertisers to develop communications and messages that resonate with consumers.

“The creative is the only thing that the customer ever sees or responds to and the targeting is invisible”, says Steve Barr, head of customer insight and planning, “Typically, data companies divorce the creative message from the targeting, because they don’t have anything of value to add to the creative process, and it’s no wonder so many creative agencies see data as irrelevant to the creative process and therefore don’t take it seriously, when of course they should.”

Acquiy has built an ongoing survey panel of 3,600 consumers answering 400 questions on beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. Based on their responses, Values has identified eight key attitudinal segments:

1. Modern Youth (aged under 25) – the majority of this segment have not yet worked out what their values are but are trying to decide where they fit into the world. Brands that appeal to them are Daily Star, O2, BMW.

2. Autonomous Explorers (aged 25-49) – positive, inner-directed people who look forward, rather than back. Brands: 3, Orange, Mazda.

3. Thrivers (aged 25-49) – positive, active outer-directed people who want the good things in life and are disciplined enough to put together a plan to achieve their goals. Brands: Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota.

4. Strivers (aged 25-49) – outer-directed people who are searching for their niche in the world. Brands: The Sun, O2, Asda.

5. Sustainers (aged 25-49) – focused on sustenance and surviving, they tend to have a sceptical and sometimes cynical outlook on life. Brands: The Sun, Asda, Iceland.

6. Autonomous Elders (aged 50+) – the most inner-directed of the elder segments with a very positive outlook on life. Brands: Daily Mail, Virgin, Citroen.

7. Social Elders (aged 50+) – an older and wiser version of Thrivers or those Strivers who managed to get their lives in order, they are not quite as impressed with image and status as their younger counterparts. Brands: Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Rover.

8. Anxious Elders (aged 50+) – a negative segment, they are anxious about the world around them and worried about their place in that world. Brands: Daily Mail, Morrisons, Rover.