I had the privilege of sitting on a jury with 11 of my closest (as you can get in three days) peers.

As Juror #2, sitting in the back row of the jury box, it was an interesting case for who your market really is.

As marketers, when we integrate targeting and segmenting into our campaigns, we’re looking to focus our marketing dollars as much as possible by removing audiences who are less likely to buy.

So, instead of targeting everybody, everywhere, we’re going to segment and stereotype (model) our way to a smaller, more targeted, plausible market.

When we do this, we have numbers, we have lists, we have indicative behaviors, personas.

But the further we dive into this targeting, the further we get from real people.

In the courtroom, glancing from one person to another, I did my own modeling:

Judge: Well educated, family man, high income bracket
Deputy District Attorney: Male, single, high income bracket, limited free time, workaholic
Court Reporter: Female, single, middle-class, cat-lover (her shirt said so)
Defendant’s Mother: Female, married, low-income bracket, minority

Looking at one in person, you’re forced to look past the age bands and stereotypes and wonder… what did they do when they got home from work? What’s most important to them? What makes them smile? What would make them buy Product X version Product Z? How would they even know about Product X in the first place?

It’s worth taking an hour, and go people watching. And as you watch people pass, challenge yourself…

Is your segmenting going deep enough? Are you asking the question that really provokes action, or just the question you asked last time? Are you hitting the real emotional touch points?

If you stopped that person, and gave them the same pitch that your marketing does, how would they respond?

Lists and models are helpful; they help us use our marketing monies effectively and (are designed to) increase our returns.

But sometimes, you have to put the data to the side and look at the real people behind all that data.