Strategic segmentation approach
Giep Franzen
When segmenting a market, a distinction should be made between strategic and descriptive variables. Strategic variables explain how consumers behave in relation to a specific product or brand, and why. Descriptive variables describe who these consumers are.
The goal of strategic segmentation is to find out which functions a brand fulfils in the lives of consumers and how these vary. Which functional and/or symbolic attributes do consumers expect in the brands they buy? The key segmentation question is why they prefer one brand over another. Afterwards, it is possible to distinguish and describe specific subgroups...