Press Release
Politicians look to Tesco’s success to secure electoral victory
Political leaders are looking to emulate Tesco’s success in segmenting their customers to secure victory in May’s General Election says The Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Tesco hit the headlines recently with record profits of £2 billion for 2004. They attribute their success to listening to their customers, giving them what they want, and carefully targeting the right customers with the right offers through the use of segmentation techniques.
By using the same techniques, the major political parties are able to focus their resources on the 838,000 key voters in 165 marginal seats who will settle the outcome of the election.
The Conservative Party are hoping that their Voter Vault system will deliver them electoral victory. The system uses both official and commercial data on individuals to analyse their shopping habits, what they like to eat, drink, read or listen to, in order to predict which way they will vote. The electorate is segmented into groups, such as ‘new urban colonists’ and ‘green-belt guardians’, then messages are tailored specifically to address their likely concerns. They claim the system accurately predicts someone’s voting intentions 70% of the time.
Likewise Labour are making use of segmentation tools such as Mosaic which commercial organisations have been using to great effect for years. ‘Undecided’ voters in key marginals can again expect to receive mailings tailored to their individual concerns.
“Segmentation can go a long way to drive success,” says David Thorp, Marketing Innovation Manager at CIM. “Similar tactics have already been tried and tested in the US, where the superior data on individuals collected by the Republican’s Voter Vault system proved influential, if not decisive, in winning the votes of the undecided and helping secure victory for George Bush.”
“Will the techniques work here? We won’t know until 6th May,” Thorp says, “but don’t be surprised if the segmentation techniques employed by the likes of Tesco, now employed by the main political parties, make this election race a lot closer than the latest polls indicate. If it works for Tesco…”
Latest Press Releases
- Marketers Remain Upbeat Despite Economic Slowdown
- INAUGURAL WORLD SOCIAL MARKETING CONFERENCE TO TAKE PLACE IN UK THIS AUTUMN
- The Benefits of Marketing in the NHS – A White Paper
- New Marketing Training Directory Launched To Meet Marketers’ Changing Needs
- Sir Paul Judge Appointed President of The Chartered Institute of Marketing
- New Chairman Elected At The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s AGM
- Can Social Marketing Really Stop Teenagers Smoking?
- Employment prospects in marketing profession remain buoyant
- Marketers back all-media voluntary codes on junk food advertising
- Customers the main concern for Europe’s marketers
Spread your message to an audience that counts, with options available for our website, email bulletins and publications including The House Magazine.
