Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Recommended Reading
Weiss, Michael J., The Clustered World: How We Live, What We Buy, and What It All
Means About Who We Are, Little, Brown and Company, 2000 (optional but available on
Amazon.com for as little as $1)
Bill Bishop, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us
Apart, First Mariner Books, 2000 (optional, and available on Amazon)
Course Methodology: This course provides the essential concepts of geodemography and
consumer targeting using U.S. Census and proprietary data and software from The Nielsen
Company. Additionally, you will learn about the availability and characteristics of public data
(e.g., Bureau of Census) and proprietary data (e.g., Epsilon, Mediamark, Nielsen) and how
these sources are used to provide insights and decision support tools to better understand
consumer behavior. Finally, you will learn to use proprietary software and segmentation tools
(PRIZM Lifestyle Segmentation) developed by Nielsen.
These tools allow organizations to better understand their customers and prospects in an easy
to apply format of: Who are my customers, what are they like, where are they located, and how
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can I reach them? From bricks to clicks, understanding consumer demographics and lifestyles
are keys to more effective strategic planning, media and market planning, merchandise mix, site
evaluation, channel management, and customer relationship management.
At course completion, students will be able to discuss various approaches to segmentation and
the merits of each. Within the software application they will be able to create behavioral profile
reports and charts, rank profiles to uncover insight to consumers lifestyle and media
preferences and create thematic maps to score markets for opportunity. There are six (6)
homework assignments and a final project for students to learn and demonstrate such
capability.
Classes will be conducted in a variety of formats involving lectures, discussion and training in
the computer lab.
This is a hands-on practical course that includes mapping, reporting and writing assignments
using the Nielsens Segmentation & Market Solutions (SMS) web portal and PRIZM Lifestyle
Segmentation. As such, commitment to class attendance is required for successful software
use and assignment completion. Anyone not able to commit to class attendance will likely not
be able to keep-up and pass the class. Each session is 3 hours in length and there are only 7 in
total. You will want to attend every class, but the last in-class session on March 2nd is especially
mission-critical to success on the final assignment. No in-class on March 9th, but final is due.
While not officially accessible outside of AUs computer labs, Limited assistance with software
and data usage will be provided by the Nielsen Solution Center at 1-800-866-6511
Printing of reports or maps is available via the lab printer but generally unnecessary. All
assignments shall be provided electronically using MS Word and Excel. Each assignment will
identify and often provide key reports and maps that can be copied using the copy-and-paste
feature to create an MS Excel and MS Word deliverables. For select assignments, students will
provide written results and narrativeskey is not length but insight through analysis.
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Grading and Evaluation
Final grades will be based on the following criteria:
Letter Grades: A (96+), A-(90), B+ (87), B (83), B- (80), MBA non-pass (70 and below)
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Professors will advise students at least one week prior to class when a compliant laptop device
is required for a specific class session. Students are expected to submit all quantitative
assignments (Excel, Access) using the MS Windows Operating Systems version of MS Office
products. Visit the Laptop Policy <http://www.american.edu/kogod/labs/computers.cfm> to
determine if your laptop is compliant and how to be prepared for class. Please note that the
University Computer Labs feature devices that allow students to complete assignments outside
of the classroom.
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Acknowledgement of Conditions of this Syllabus
My signature below indicates that I have read, understood, and accepted the conditions and
requirements of the syllabus for MKTG-755 Applied Market Segmentation in Winter 2017.
This includes all information regarding course material, attendance and conduct, preparation,
quizzes, exams and grade requirements, laptop and cell phone policies, and the statement and
policy on academic dishonesty.
This acknowledgement MUST be returned by the end of the first class following the add/drop
period.
_______________________________________________ ______________________
Print Name Date
_________________________________________________________
Sign Name
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Jan 19 LESSON ONE (1) Intro to Marketing Information & US Census
Introduce students to the marketing information data, sources and applications;
fundamentals of marketing geography, Census data, the Census web site; and,
comparing demographics for two trade areas.
Data 101
6:00-6:30 Introduction to marketing information data and application
- Intro to Applied Market Segmentation.ppt (Sections 1, 2)
6:40-6:50 Break
- Intro to Applied Market Segmentation.ppt (Section 3, 4)
Census.gov
7:10-8:00 Homework Assignment 1: ZIP Code Comparison
- Review of reading assignments in Nielsen-Census 2010 Overview.pdf
- Two Calcs & Tour www.census.gov; DataMapper & FactFinder
- Discuss how to compare and contrast two areas
- Review template, naming conventions, cut-n-paste concepts
Additional Notes:
Feel free to examine any other ZIP Codes of your choosing. However, for the assignment
please use ZIP Code 22201, the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, VA and compare it to
ZIP Code 44131, a suburb of Cleveland, OH as this makes for more consistent grading.
Format of Assignments
Printing of reports or maps is available via the lab printer but likely unnecessary. All
assignments shall be provided electronically using MS Word and Excel. Each assignment will
identify key SMS reports and concepts as an Excel deliverable(s). More importantly, the
student will provide concise written results analyses, ranging from a few sentences to 1-2 pages
(approx., 200-400 words) depending on the assignment. The key is not length but insight
through analysis. Do not recite a lot of numbers, but rather their meaning and implications. Use
the template and submit in the form of Assignment 1_Your LastName.xls or .doc as this is
very helpful in grading and tracking your submissions.
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Jan 26 LESSON TWO (2) Intro to Geodemographics and Nielsen SMS
Introduce students to geodemographics, market definition and analysis using the
Demographic Concentration topic for reporting and mapping.
5:30-5:50 Discuss Homework Assignment 1: Census 2010 & ZIP Code Comparison
5:50-6:30 Introduction to geodemographics, market definition and analysis
- Cartographics Overview.pdf; 2015 Cartographics TLA.pdf
- 2015 MKTG 755 Fundamentals.pdf
- Review/Discussion on Marketing Technology & Consumer Data
6:30-6:40 Break
6:40-7:50 Market Definition and Demographic Concentration
- SMS: User Interface
- Review: Nielsen Calculations Guide (pages 1-6, 10-15, 25-33)
- Introduce Use Case & Market Scenario
- Review: Creating Trade Areas Based On Standard Geographies.pdf
- SMS: Define a Market
- Begin (in-class) Assignment 2
- SMS: Create Content Creation Tools Analysis Area Geography
- Create areas 1) USA by DMA, 2) WDC DMA by ZIP; discuss
- Areas will save in the inbox directory of My Analysis Areas
- Creating Consumer Concentration Reports
- SMS: Create Content Reports Segmentation Cons. Concentration
- Review Demographic Concentration Title, Table & Map views
- Discuss exhibit / content delivery requirements for assignments
- Reports will save in the inbox directory of My Reports
7:50-8:00 Homework Assignment 2: Geodemographic Reporting & Mapping
Additional Notes:
When visiting www.mybestsegments.com please read and explore the who-what-where-how
case studies and then lookup ZIP Codes (44131, 22201) from Assignment 1 and think about
the area(s) in terms of "who" are the people that live there as reported by Census
demographics compared to Nielsens top five segments. Explore MyBestSegments further by
clicking through the PRIZM segment nicknames to learn more about each segment.
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Feb 2 LESSON THREE (3) Segmentation & Profile Analysis
Introduce students to segmentation and consumer analysis using a variety of
topics for reporting and charting of segmentation (consumer) profiles. Review and
discuss related calculations, compare profiles to one another, evaluate and
identify target segments.
Materials: Nielsen PRIZM posters (hardcopy); Nielsen PRIZM Segment Narratives.pdf; Intro
to PRIZM Segmentation_AU.pdf
Additional Notes:
As you examine your profile reports and charts, think about the following: How do segments
compare across buyer profiles? Is the behavior(s) a low-, mid-, or high affluence profile? Which
segments make up the core market? Which segments comprise the highest composition?
Which segments are "dominate" or "invest" or, of little concern? What can you immediately
recognize about them by looking at their names? What are the core demographic drivers of
your best segments?
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Feb 9 LESSON FOUR (4) Assembling Targets & Analyzing Demographics
Use profiles and segment measures to create consumer targets to research and
document demographics, lifestyles and media preferences. Exploration of criteria
used to aggregate segments into groups via Profiler: Worksheet. Create and
interpret Target Segment Measures reports using demographic attributes.
Additional Notes:
Focus on characteristics of predominant segmentsusing the demographic descriptors and
purchase propensities. Examine segment narratives for key (e.g. largest) segments within a
target as a means to begin thinking of how you would write something similar for each target as
that is key to personification of the consumer within your target marketing plan and for
Assignment 5 whereby you will craft your own target narratives.
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Feb 16 LESSON FIVE (5) Personifying the Target
Create and interpret Target Segment Measures reports of the Lifestyles, Retail
Shopping and Media Preferences. Examine markets by creating maps of market
potential and concentration of target segments.
Additional Notes:
Use TSM reports to examine your targets in terms of their demographics and lifestyles. What
types of media do these consumers prefer? Are there groups of buyers that can be targeted
more efficiently using different media outlets, genres and shows? What media do they all have
or not have in common? Refer to PRIZM segment narratives as example, especially for the
descriptions for the standard Social and Lifestage groups.
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Feb 23 LESSON SIX (6) Locating & Mapping Demand
Examine markets by creating maps of potential customers, target segments and
demographics; work with maps to add enhancement layers, change patterns, etc.
Describe and begin (Lesson 7s) in-class lab assignment and final exam format.
Additional Notes:
When examining your maps, look at how areas concentrate and theme. Are certain targets
more center city, suburban or country? How would that relate to a day in the life of the target
consumers? What does it mean to a marketer? Store location/promotion? Media targeting?
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Mar 2 LESSON SEVEN (7) Putting it Together & The Final Exam
An in-class computer lab designed to show students how to put the process
together by conducting an analysis from start to finish. It is a dress rehearsal for
the final project.
Note: Recall the work-around discussed in class, wrt off-target segments and subsequent
revisions to a saved target group in SMS (remember to move off-targets to unassigned before
saving) if you do not, you will have to re-create the target as a bug in SMS prevents the editing
of a target group not having any unassigned segments. Nielsen is working to fix it.
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