Moving towards your target customer

So I'm not sure if I've ever shared this on the blog but I work in marketing and have done so since I left uni, many moons ago. Working in the industry I look at advertising differently then most other consumers; so when I watch an advert on tv I don't just think about is it entertaining or would I buy that product, I actually look at what is the underlying message they were trying to convey or who is the advert targeted at (yes, watching tv with me can be rather boring).

This morning I woke up to read two moans from two different sources about two completely different ways that a company/brand  (different organisations) had chosen to proceed and it riled me up enough to write a post. The first of these was on The Daily Mail online (which I'm addicted to reading even though I'm bound to find at least one article that makes my blood boil); a response to Marks & Sparks new lingerie line.  Now we all know that M&S is a British institution but if I'm honest I haven't bought anything in there for the last 5 years that wasn't food or a card.So this morning when I saw the new lingerie range I was kind of excited, excited enough to contemplate actually venturing to M&S on my lunch break (not today but in the near future) to check it out. The clothes side of the business is declining so I'm sure they would love to get me (and others like me) in their doors, for a number of reasons:

I'm totally addicted to shopping and shop regularly. I buy on sight - if I want it I'm buying it, life is too short to be weighing up if I need it.

I have money to spend. 

So when I see articles complaining that most M&S shoppers in their 60s want comfy knickers and not the uncomfortable new collection it gets my goat because what the author fails to realise is that the range isn't aimed at the traditional customer but at me who may just purchase on a whim and isn't wearing those undies for comfort!! What really annoys me is that I have little faith that M&S will wholeheartedly follow through with this strategy -one season I'll see some really cool stuff and the next it's back to good old M&S basics. But consistency is key if they are really focused on getting Nadie and her fellow shopaholics through the door and if they want to see long term growth rather than short term profit.

The second example is a response to Nike's We Own the Night women's only race and womens races in general. Although I didn't attend or race,  I have been to a few Nike Training Club events which I've really enjoyed. The general feedback on the event was that it was a great but slightly tacky and too focused on an image of women that could be seen as frivalous (post race manicures etc). Again when I read the post on Spikes and Heels I thought yes it does sound a bit OTT and slighly passe but I'm sure the event wasn't aimed at running enthusiasts but at those women who want to get fitter, have never ever entered a race or signed up because a friend was doing it ie me if I ever signed up to a race. Would I want to get a manicure post race probably not but pre race when I'm thinking why the hell have I signed up to do this especially as I haven't done a lot of training; yes please as a distraction from the regret I would be feeling. The motivation signs during the course sound like real motivators to run even faster to pass them as quickly as possible

So you are probably wondering what is the point of this post as I dont actually disagree with some of the viewpoints and I guess its to say although the customer is always right, the truth of the matter is that you may not actually be the customer that the product is aimed at and just like a tv show we don't like (switch it off) we have the choice to shop somewhere else or not 'buy' the product. But I also wanted to send a big blog hug to my fellow marketers everyone thinks we have amazing jobs (and personally I think we do) but sometimes feedback can be hard to take - I feel their pain.