Influentials
If there's one ideal consumer type, it's Influentials--the people most likely to try new products and make their opinion count (see also: Innovators, Trendsetters, Tastemakers). According to Mediamark Research (Consumer Innovators, 1988) "Super Innovators" can command a marketing value five times their size (wonder what the math for that equation looks like). This helps explain why major labels spend tons of money promoting records to college radio when the direct financial return doesn't justify the spending.
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The above trade ad for MTV appeared in Advertising Age and The New York Times a couple years ago and was reprinted in a million zines shortly thereafter. The text reads:If this guy doesn't know about you, you're toast. He's an opinion leader. He watches MTV. Which means he knows a lot more than just what CDs to buy and what movies to see. He knows what car to drive, what clothes to wear and what credit card to buy them with. And he's no loner. He heads up a pack. What he eats, his friends eat. What he wears, they wear. What he likes, they like. And what he's never heard of... well... you get the idea.
