Yeesh!With all the hoopla of the Apple iPad roll out, there was one small paragraph that caught my eye. I have copied it below but you can link to the story here.
"The target audience is everyone," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president for strategy and analysis at Interpret, a market research firm. "Apple does not build products for just the enthusiasts," he said. "It doesn't build for the tens of thousands; it builds for the tens of millions."
Hmmm. I guess if you are Apple your target audience (market) can be everyone. But doesn't that go against the very definition of what a target market is?????
I have b
een doing a lot of reading about this very subject within the last month. One phrase from my reading has stayed with me. It is, "Specialize or Spend."I think that says it all. The wider the target, the more you have to spend, both in time and money.
I guess Michael Gartenberg thinks Apple has an unlimited supply of both.
What are your thoughts?
1 comment:
Deb,
You are so right! I have said this to my clients for years. In addition to the budget issue of trying to be all things to all people, there's the very practical fact that not everyone *needs* your product at all times.
Obviously, an apartment dweller has no need for a lawn mower!
E-mail is a beautiful medium for staying in front of your contacts without over-spending. Don't worry that not everyone opens your email. The ones who need your product/service now are the ones who will open it! In the meantime, if an unexpected need arises, you'll be the first they think of! (Simply because they've seen your e-mails w/good subject lines coming through.)
Nice post, Deb, and a very good point!
~Mary
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