On a recent visit to London, as I travelled round the transport system I was struck by how many people were smoking. As someone who has never smoked I can't quite understand the habit particularly in an age where we have so much evidence of the damage smoking does. However, I have worked extensively in the COPD and smoking cessation areas and it sometimes feels like I’ve been a smoker myself!
What struck me was the variety of smokers – ages, sizes, and I am sure reasons for, and habits of, their addiction. It got me thinking about the power of customer profiling. Here’s a quick example: the profiles below are based on real people I observed on my trip - however their true identities have been changed (and I do not know the real ones!)
Chain (Smoking) Gang
Profile: Geoff, a 53 year old labourer currently working on a building site near Smithfield Market.
Smoking habit: Always outdoors, he can smoke when he likes and does – at home, at work, in the pub (or at least outside it). He’s smoked since he was 15 and the whole work squad smoke (mainly roll-ups), so why change now. He often has a cough and feels a bit of shortness of breath when climbing the ladders at work, but thinks nothing of it – it’s just a smoker’s cough.
Most likely to say: ‘My old man smoked until he was 85 and it never did him any harm’ (his old man however died with severe emphysema)
Too cool for schooler
Profile: Adele, 41, has worked in creative and advertising agencies since completing her Psychology degree in the late 80s. She retains the same young at heart mindset (and unfortunately dress sense) she did in her 20s.
Smoking habit: She smokes to relax (with a coffee at work or a glass of Pinot Grigio in the evening), to help her creative spark and when socialising. Smoking is very much part of her lifestyle.
Most likely to say: ‘I could give up tomorrow, but I just like it too much’
Master of (his) Universe
Profile: Ben, 28, is a banker in The City. He drives a fast car (usually slowly but very loudly) to work. He is a lifestyle time bomb in denial. He thinks he’s fit: he used to play rugby and now plays golf every Saturday (badly and with a buggy)
Smoking habit: Starts with a smoke (sometimes three) in the car on the way to work (which helps prepare him for the inevitable road rage and work rage which will follow). He smokes 20 a day, and cigars on special occasions, although he hasn’t told his parents he smokes yet.
Most likely to say: ‘As long as I give up by 30, or maybe 35,there will be no health issues I’m sure’
Teen Tabber
Profile: Jason, 17, bright, cool, good looking and from South London has the world at his feet. He’s deciding on his future options: travelling, university or joining the workforce. But he has bigger things to worry about than smoking (like which pair of skin tight jeans to wear today).
Smoking habit: Smokes when hanging out with his friends (which is most nights). His girlfriend is one of the few kids in his clique who doesn’t smoke. She doesn’t like the taste or smell, but his mates hold sway and he’s acquiring a taste for it.
Most likely to say: ‘I know it’s not good for me but I can smoke if I like’
These profiles are just a bit of fun, but if you work in a smoking related product or service area such as smoking cessation support, COPD or any other CV co-morbidity, these might have genuine implications for your strategy. Taking smoking cessation for example, different target profiles will have a significant impact on the marketing approach you take:
- Who best fits your product profile: whether it be prescription, product, patch, gum, support service etc?
- What kind or messages should you target them with: Wellness, Quitting, Cutting Down or Temporary Abstinence?
- What would your most effective promotional mix and channels of distribution be?
This exercise demonstrates the following:
- The power of observation: get out there and see the conditions that affect patient’s lives (or in this case smoker’s lives – smokers generally don’t like being referred to as patients: they are not ill, they just happen to smoke) or how healthcare professionals do their jobs in the real world.
- The power of patient profiling: the conditions, or in this case habits, may appear the same but their profiles are very different in almost every single way.
- The power of single-mindedness: once you have identified your ‘bullseye’ patients you can use this to drive your brand strategy and positioning.
If you can harness these powers, you can significantly boost your brand.
