Psychographic
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In the field of buzzwords, marketing, demographics, opinion research, and social research in general, psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles. They are also called IAO variables (for Interests, Activities, and Opinions). They can be contrasted with demographic variables (such as age and gender), behavioral variables (such as usage rate or loyalty), and firmographic variables (such as industry, seniority and functional area).
Psychographics are often confused with demographics. This confusion can create fundamentally flawed definitions. For example, historical generations are defined by psychographic variables like attitudes, personality formation, and cultural touchstones. The traditionally defined "Baby Boom Generation" has been the subject of much criticism because it uses demographic variables where it should be using psychographic variables. While all other generations are defined by psychographic variables, the old Boomer definition is based on a demographic variable—the fertility rates of its parents.
When a relatively complete profile of a person or group's psychographic make-up is constructed, this is called a psychographic profile. Psychographic profiles are used in market segmentation as well as in advertising.
Some categories of psychographic factors used in market segmentation include:
- Activity, Interest, Opinion (AIO)
- Attitudes
- Values
Psychographics can also be seen as an equivalent of the concept of "culture" as used most commonly in national segmentation. "Psychographics is the study of personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles" "Who Is Your Next Customer?". Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, Strategy+Business. 28 September 2007. http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews092807.
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