Media and Product Consumption, Essay Example

Product Consumption List

 Media Consumption List

Analysis Paper

Based on my product and media consumption habits, it is likely that media specialists would rank me as a mature adult. Even though I am enrolled in college, I wake up early and am concerned with remaining connected with the world around me. While many students my age participate in these activities by talking to their friends using applications like FaceTime or text messaging, I keep a majority of my contacts in my e-mail and Facebook accounts, which are more popular methods of communication among individuals between the ages of 25 and 35. Furthermore, I regularly watch the news when I get ready in the morning, which is viewed as a more mature activity. Therefore, it is unlikely that marketing professionals would correctly identify me as a member of my age category.

On the other hand, the products that I consume do not reflect a particular target demographic. These are items that are consumed by nearly every individual that is concerned with his or her personal hygiene. Therefore, I do not believe that the media will be able to make any assumptions about this component of my identity because the products I use reflect fairly universal needs.

Despite the fact that the media consumption I partake in is not reflective of my age and the products I use do not reflect a target demographic, advertisers will be able to successfully market products to me simply by knowing those I’ve used in the past. By studying my consumer behaviors, they do not need to know my age or additional demographic information because my consumption habits and spending patterns will allow them to quickly understand what new products I might be interested in. Because of new tracking data used by applications such as Facebook, targeting audiences for marketing has become easier. Since these companies know of my interests based on searches and other internet activities, they will have an enhanced ability to market directly to me without needing an understanding of my age group; the data says it all.