AUDIENCE TARGET ANALYSIS (UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS).

ANALYSIS).

For many of the Communication Strategies that I have been privy to, I have observed that much premium is usually placed on categorizing audience into Primary and Secondary targets, at the expense of other important component of Target Audience analysis. I find this quite curious and misplaced. To me, categorizing of audiences into Primary and Secondary should be informed by many factors notably among which are Demographic and Psychographic Analysis.

While proper audience categorization is key for the success of any Communication or Marketing campaign, it is equally important and worth-noting that Target Audience analysis will be materially irrelevant to any Communication strategy if it is done without recourse to other key components of the Target Audience Analysis.

For the purposes of this piece, I intend to shed some light on one of these two key variables in Audience Target Analysis: Psychographic Analysis.

PSYCHOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS.

Mnemonically referred to as VALS-(Values and Lifestyle), Psychographic analysis attempts to inquire into the consumer lifestyle, beliefs, values and attitudes. Questions such as: What motivates our existing or prospective consumers?  Where do they spend most of their time? Who influence them? What do they believe as most important? , many but to mention few, are critical in psychographic analysis.

I want to submit that psychographic analysis is very challenging form of the two and one that requires great efforts, time analytical thinking and discretion. From my Sociology and Anthropology classes, I was made to understand that human beings are unpredictable and difficult to measure as they usually adopt beliefs, values and in order to adapt to different circumstance. This renders psychographic analysis qualitative in nature, unlike demographic analysis where statistics can obtained for the right decisions.(I am working the differences and Similarities between Psychographic and Demographic analysis which  I will share later.

Much as psychographic variable borders is   internal-Mental and Psychological-, it is usually influenced externally by an individual’s socialization, environment, exposures and experiences.

As communication strategists, we can take solace in the fact that people’s psychographic make  up  can be influenced  or  maintained, subject to how doing the former or later inures to our communication objectives. For instance, by creating more consumer engagement campaigns, a Communication Strategist can help maintain an individual’s positive disposition or attitude towards a brand. Brand loyalty which is engendered by consumer engagement campaigns will only be an attestation to the fact that consumers’ positive disposition towards that brand has been maintained or improved.

I hasten to emphasize that doing psychographic analysis is daunting and the Communication strategists must bring high sense of discretion to bare. The fact that people can kill to defend their beliefs and values speaks of how protective people can guard their psychographic make up. It is therefore incumbent on us as Communication Strategists to find ways of effectively delving into people’s psychographic make up without hurting or courting their disdain.

But when done well, Psychographic analysis can effective for the following ways:

·         Building high brand loyalty.

·         Building high brand Preference and Essence.

·         Understanding consumer needs and expectations and meeting them cost effectively.

·         Building high brand equity.

·         For generating meaningful creative concepts that resonates with your target

It is in the light of the above observations that these recommendations becomes relevant to Communication Strategists seeking maximum impact.

Turf Research:

Don’t stay in an Air –condition and devise a Strategy for the Makola woman who is working at the mercy of the scorch sun. You will fail. Because people’s values, beliefs and perceptions and   are influenced by their conditions and circumstances, it will pay a great deal if the Communication Strategist gets into the environment or space of their targets.

Empathize with your target

As the Strategist it will pay a great deal to put yourself in the position of your target’s conditions and prevailing circumstances. Use this as a bench mark and yardstick for predicting their attitudes, beliefs and behavior.

Secondary Resources

This is what I refer to as mediated information. Fall on literatures and other academic pieces that is relevant to your target. This can provide leads into gathering the appropriate information for the appropriate decision.

Pay Attention to the Socio-Cultural

Max Weber, one of the greatest sociologist, tells us that people are the product of their society. A clear understanding of the socio-cultural lives of your target will also be critical in devising strategies that motivate and dispose them favorably towards your cause.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Closely related to the above is the need to pay attention to the demographic characteristics of your target. This is because a strong correlation exist between one’s age, and their values, perceptions and beliefs.


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FIVE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT NEW RECRIUTS

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BACKGROUND

My eyes on this occasion lands me a date with three organizations that I have worked in, mostly as an intern. In all of these places, I made some key observations which I find worth sharing.

The issues that I discuss in this piece are critical and central for Organization seeking to obtain and retain the best of talents. I expect that while this will be good for those in the highest echelons of Organization, the piece will also be key in helping young people to be conscious of issues that will confront them as they begin their journey into the hurly burly of work life.

DISCLAIMER

I am not an expert in Human Resource. Indeed, except for some few courses in employee relationship that a degree in Communication Study exposed me to, I cannot claim profound knowledge in the subject area.

Furthermore, my cumulated work experience does not exceed two years to warrant me an authority status in discussing issues regarding employee relations. But beyond these limitation, I think my working stints with three organizations, however few, equips me to share a fair and erudite   opinion on this critical subject.

PURPOSE

In this piece, I discuss five Misconception that affect the employer-employees relationship. In view of my limited work experience, I will narrow the scope of this piece to how these misconception affected new entrants or recruits.

My purpose is to put the spot light on how some misconceptions about these new recruits affect work output, employee relations and retention of new talents.

They don’t Know Anything Yet

Many organizations have a very hierarchical and almost conservative structure and systems. Their inclination to always pay attention to with people with accumulated work experience, on many occasions, they fail to rope new entrants into critical discussions, thinking they are not there yet.

While I have no doubt that experienced hand can make meaningful inputs in any assignments or activity, I do not think that a snobbery disposition towards new entrants is the smart thing for many viable Organization to do.

Personally, in all the three organization I have worked in mostly as intern, I had suffered a similar fate. In deed on some occasions, I was told in the face that I couldn’t perform a task even though the opportunity had not been presented. But, I take solace in the fact that in all these Organizations, an eventual opportunity naturally presented itself for me to prove my mettle. In one day after a presentation, one of my bosses in another department intimated; ‘‘Samuel, I never knew you could talk. You surprised me. Keep it up’’.

In instances that the opportunity is presented the motif has not always been noble and sincere. I have observed that some workers for reasons best known usually grant new entrants opportunities with the view to expose how inexperience they are. In some occasion, this strategy backfires. Where the contrary happens, some of these workers use it as a justification to sideline new entrants from any meaningful engagements, rendering them mere stooges and redundant in the work place.

If Organization were smart and sincere enough to carry along their new entrants, they would be amazed at the potential. Yes, they may fail on some occasions. But that should not be used as a yardstick for predicting or preempting their subsequent performance.

Indeed, for any organization that cares about the professional advancements of their new recruits finding out the latter’s weakness and strength should be critical to them, key as such is in helping to build effective employee relation, reduce stress and enhance performance.

I cannot end this piece without paying glowing tributes to the Managing Director of Ogilvy Ghana, Gil Kemani. He embodies my recommendations in this regard. His inclination to engage and listen to the opinions of new recruits, even interns, is a legendary and a feat rare among many of his contemporaries.

They are all the Same

‘’All graduates are the same. They are as inexperience and over ambitious.’’ This presumptive misconception about new entrants is not too hard to hear. It is true, that new recruits may have students’ similar academic backgrounds, similar graduating classes, similar courses and many similar variables. But I don’t believe it is wise to box them together, without paying attention to their individual capabilities and aptitudes.

While doing this may be convenient job classification and assignments, the danger in perpetuating this stereotype is far reaching. Not only does it cloud Organizations from paying attention to individual’s capabilities, strength and weakness doing same also affect how the individual needs and expectations of these new entrants are managed and leveraged.

Individuals need to be appraised individually. In fact, commonality of their academic backgrounds or credentials should not always be the rebasing denominator. Accepting that people are individuals before they become part of the whole will help organization to be able to predict and harness the talents of the new entrants they recruit.

They Always Have to Justify their Inclusion

From the advertisement period to when people are employed, it appears most of the consideration is aimed at assessing whether a new recruits is capable or merits the chance they are given. But after recruitment, the tide naturally turns. Organizations eventually assume the responsibility of justifying why they also merit the talent that they have recruited.

Indeed the motivation for applying for a vacancy varies from one individuals to another. Although the incentives for applying for a job is largely driven by financial motives, there are other variables that one Organizations needs to be aware of so their relationship with their employees doesn’t become merely transactional. For some, they want their motivation for applying for a job is to satisfy their innate need for social belonging. Others may be do same on account of their deference and preference to the employing Organization. For others, they apply to test how effective their CVs were.

Others also feel their resumes are flamboyant enough to warrant flaunting. Whereas as others will stay because they feel that they are adequately resourced to be able to effectively discharge their roles, others will apply because that will grant them their personal and professional advancement.

If Organizations cared about why people apply for a job, they will have been more tactful with the talents their recruitment exercises affords them.

Let me state as a matter of emphasis that financial incentives and high unemployment rate are not the only reasons why new recruits apply and stay in an unfulfilling job. To this extent I argue that the burden of justifying one’s inclusion is shifts from the new recruits to the employer. Once they are employed, they look up to Organizations to for reasons why they should fully surrender give out their intellectual and physical endowments to one Organization and not the other.

They have no option than to be Loyal.

For an Organization to bet their own credibility on a new recruit, the least the latter can do is to be disloyal to their Organization. Morality and ethical considerations requires it. While this is the ordinary normative thinking, Organizations must be aware that many people need many reasons beyond their employment to remain loyal.

Once I read a quote from a friend’s face book feed. Unfortunately. I cannot recount or even recall who the quote was credited to but I recall an instructive part of the quotation which read: ’an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of talent.’’ The import was that loyalty is key or even better than talent.

While I agree that loyalty is central, I equally do not think it is mutually exclusive to talent. Organizations needs talented and loyal manpower. Having one in isolation to the other is problematic.

The two are however different not only in meaning but in terms of how each is obtained and retained. While talents can be poached or bought at a huge price, loyalty must necessarily be earned.

Many Organizations want their employees, especially their new recruits to be loyal and stay with them through the thick and thins, but they in the other coin fail to recognize that loyalty must be earned and not part of their monthly take home salary .In every relationship, including the one that must exist between employees and the employer, the need for the employer to work hard to earn the loyalty of employees is paramount for its sustenance.

New recruits are very susceptible. More vulnerable. Once they have make a decision to be with an Organization, they need to be sure of many things beyond their monthly salary. Uncertainties usually throws them into a state of dissonance  but once they see glimpses of trust, transparency, and sincerity and are treated with respect, they become settled and loyal to the Organization . I   have no reason to doubt that this observation equally applies to existing workers.

There is no need to Credit for their Works.

I had many interactions with many of my contemporaries, those in different Organization. For many of their whining and kvetching, I observed a common line run through them. Thus, usually their complaints are with this renditions: ‘I did this and I was never credited for it’’.

Rewards are key for performance reinforcements, as our psychologists tells us. Rewarding and crediting new recruits with new approach idea and not allowing organizational structure to cave them in their ingenuity cannot be overemphasized if in efforts towards retaining them.

In some Organizations, processes are so bureaucratic that little attention is usually paid to those-in most cases new recruits- who begin kicks ideas off.

In their bid to impress during interviews, they minced no words in making a case for their capabilities. Anytime, there are not credited or rewarded, they feel their inputs do not matter.

Of course, they cannot be blamed. Society and their years in basis and high education have conditioned them in the believe that ingenuity, creativity, resilience and hard work are to be rewarded

Organizations that have reward mechanism or ensures that efforts of their new recruits are duly acknowledged and recognized stand a better chance getting the best out of them.

Let me end on this note by lauding my Director, Mr. Kenneth Kwawu. Uncle Ken will seize every chance to reward and heap loads of praises on you even when you did what you are expected to. Unlike others, he mastered the act of sharing credit and rewarding ingenuity.