Back in 2012 I put together a popular series about three personas ... Judy, Jennifer, and Jasmine (click here). So popular, in fact, that I was invited to speak at a conference in New England about the personas (here's the agenda for those of you who enjoy nostalgia). These were heady times ... you didn't need to bring $20,000 to the agency running the conference to be able to address the entire audience like many conferences require of their speakers today. Keep that in mind as you think about the NRF's "Big Show" that is coming up (yes, somebody sent me the pitch deck they received for how much people have to pay to play there .... that's what modern conferences are all about ... you are most assuredly not getting brilliant insights from the best and brightest, you are getting content from people paying for access to you).
Thirteen years later, the personas have aged.
- Judy = 72 years old.
- Jennifer = 56 years old.
- Jasmine = 40 years old.
Judy is the catalog-loving shopper ... notice that she's been retired for seven years. If you manage a catalog brand and Judy is still your customer (she would have been 42 years old in the era of J. Peterman on Seinfeld), project her spending levels into the next decade as she enters her eighties ... then project your paper/printing/postage costs, and you're in for a scintillating exploration of the Darwinistic principles of Capitalism.
Stunningly ... Jennifer is nearly Judy's age from that presentation in 2012. And she behaves nothing like Judy.
When I gave the presentation in 2012, the audience audibly groaned when I introduced Jennifer. They ... did ... not ... like ... her ... at ... all. Which is too bad, because today these brands realize they NEED Jennifer. They need to know who she is, they need to know what she desires. The time to start knowledge exploration was back in 2005. The second best time to do this was back in 2012.
The third best time to start is today.
P.S.: There are some in this audience who strongly believe in certain marketing tactics. Let's ignore tactics for a moment. Answer the following two questions for each individual below ... first, how much disposable income does each individual have, and second, what needs does the individual have that you are able to meet with your current merchandise/product assortment?
- Judy, 72 Years Old.
- Jennifer, 56 Years Old.
- Jasmine, 40 Years Old.
- Jadyn, 24 Years Old.
The answers to your questions should be telling, and should inform you of what you need to do in 2025 and beyond to be relevant.
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