Marketing Segmentation

Advertising and other promotional decisions are in- fluenced by the nature of the target market as well as which media vehicles are within the financial .reach of the small-business owner and how effective they are in reaching the target market. Though considerable research has been done about the value of advertise- ments in general, little is known about the relative effectiveness of suburban and urban papers and radio stations in reaching the specific target markets of small business. Because of financial exigencies and the need to produce results within a reasonable period of time, the appropriate use of media vehicles is of paramount importance among small-business operators. To assess the effects of various media vehicles on different market segments, three surveys and a field experiment were conducted. Findings from three studies indi- cate that, although the aggregate measure of readership of major dailies is high across urban and suburban dwellers, the relative influ- ence and effectiveness of urban dailies tend to differ among communities. Suburban weeklies and radio stations seem more effective in reaching various market segments and life-styles.