Strategic segmentation approach

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.

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...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands