Great segmentation doesn’t announce itself, it shows up as something that feels obvious, human and true. That’s when segmentation research is doing its best work, quietly, effectively and grounded in real consumer behaviour.
Although the Cadbury “made to share” campaign is now over a year old, I still love using it as a go-to example of the real power of moments of demand in segmentation research.
On the surface the campaign lands through humor. The ratio’s on the chocolate tablets/slabs feel uncannily accurate, something most of us can certainly relate to. It means no more unfair allocations, no more chocolate-based squabbles, the slabs/tablets were made to share fairly – always favouring the generous. Smart humor, executed brilliantly!
But that kind of smart thinking doesn’t just happen.
Behind the scenes, it’s hard to imagine this idea wasn’t driven by consumer segmentation, specifically by identifying a clear moment of demand. For Cadbury Dairy Milk, that moment wasn’t simply about eating chocolate, it was all about sharing.
More importantly, it is about connection, with either a loved one or friend/colleague, bonding over a chocolate slab/tablet “equally” shared, as the campaign playfully suggests. What makes this moment especially powerful is that multiple people are engaging with their brand at the same time, and the format of a slab/tablet enables this shared experience.
The beauty of moments of demand is that they’re deeply true to life. Especially coming out of the festive season, most of us can recall a moment when we opened our favorite chocolate tablet/slab with someone, talked, laughed and somehow finished the whole thing before we realize it was gone.
You even managed to share the calories, so it can’t be all that bad, right?
This is just one of many moments of demand that would have been identified in the chocolate category. Each moment is grounded in real behaviour and each can be unlocked in their own unique way.
However, growth from segmentation is truly unlocked when you understand the people that matter the most in the moments that matter the most. The missing piece here is the who, which is where persona segmentation comes into play.
The intersection of both persona and demand moment (needs based) segmentation is where the power truly unlocks.
This just serves as a reminder that research doesn’t always shout, beneath the surface it is relentless, rigorous and always in motion, always quietly at work in the background. So when we see segmentation come to life so successfully in-market, it is worth taking a moment to savor.
Preferably with a decadent piece of chocolate to treat and reward ourselves, well would you look at that, yet another moment of demand in the chocolate universe.