Effects of Product Targeting on Non-Targeted Customers

Abstract

The “non-target market” refers to the people who are not members of a group defined as the target market for a product by the product seller or marketer. When the product is purchased by the members of the non-target market, it is referred to as the “non-target effect.” This study investigated the response of the non-target group towards a target message that suggested that people of a specific social status were its targeted market. One’s social status has been noted as a factor that affects the acceptance process of advertisements, and the non-target group is important as potential customers and as a social variable that affects the acceptance pattern of the targeted group. Managing various market subdivisions and the implications were discovered by investigating the responses of the non-target market in this study. All the brands were categorized as a high-end brand or a generic brand according to where they fall in the price subdivisions, and the targeted groups were determined according to socioeconomic status (based on income level). Also, the subjects’ social identity (interpersonal sensitivity) and degree of reference group influence were considered as major variables and responses towards their self brand-connection were studied. Also, target messages proposing that the high-end brands were for upper-class people and that generic brands were for the general public were allowed to be seen or remained hidden, and the response of the non-target group was studied. The responses of members of the non-target group towards the target message differed according to their socioeconomic status, and the responses regarding the high-end brands and generic brands showed different results according to the variables of susceptibility to interpersonal influence and interpersonal sensitivity levels. Among the general public who were designated as the non-target market for the luxury brands, those with high susceptibility to interpersonal influence and interpersonal sensitivity showed a positive response towards the brand when the advertisement contained a target message. However, the upper class, designated as the non-target market for generic brands, showed a negative response towards advertisements containing a target message, according to their income levels. The idea that individuals form a self-brand connection was confirmed from studying the formation of consumption and purchasing behavior of the non-target group. That is, the general public formed a connection between self and the brand upon seeing a message targeted for the upper class and formed a positive attitude towards the message. However, members in the upper class formed a connection between self and the brand targeting the general public and formed a negative attitude towards the target message. Also, susceptibility to interpersonal influence and interpersonal sensitivity had an effect on the attitude towards the target message regarding socioeconomic status. Those with low susceptibility to interpersonal influence and interpersonal sensitivity showed no significant preference for target messages according to their socioeconomic status, while those with high interpersonal sensitivity showed a notable difference in their preference for target messages according to their socioeconomic status. People with high susceptibility to interpersonal influence and interpersonal sensitivity have a strong tendency to be conscious of other people and to strongly express their preference in a way that is expected of them or can enhance their image. The significance of this study is not only that it investigated the acceptance process of the group targeted by advertisement messages but also the acceptance process of the non-target market. The results suggest the need to have a new perspective on the non-target market and to check the self-brand connection process of the non-target group, who can influence the buying decisions of the target market as a reference group and are potential customers, when applying the concept of target marketing.