Nike's Use of Psychographic Data

Psychographics identify personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person's lifestyle and purchasing behavior. Psychographics are psychological profiles of potential customers in a market that focus on attitudes, interests, and personal opinions or perspectives. Jeff Jensen writing in Advertising Age (1996) suggests that Nike's success is no accident. Since the late 1980s, Nike has been using psychographic and sociographic analysis of data to help transform the company from a brand of sneakers to a marquee brand that has become integral to the sports culture it targets in the United States and elsewhere around the world (Jensen, 199, 1).

Nike products targets every demographic and psychographic in society. Nike sees no need to market to a specific niche. Therefore, it markets to inner city kids as well as kids from the suburbs, weekend athletes, serious athletes, people who want to look like athletes, female athletes and people of all sexes, ages and sizes that want to look like athletes. Nike is now more focused on growing its line of apparel rather than focusing entirely on shoes. This product diversification provides additional sales opportunities for consumers of all ages. Nike is also a global brand, and it would use both sociographic and psychographic data to determine target markets in foreign countries and then tailor marketing programs to appeal to their specific interests.

If Nike were identified as a for-guys-only brand, it risked ceding p

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