Consumer Report If you think you know your target market, think again.

He was Joe Average; she was Jane Doe. They lived in atraditional nuclear family and watched "Laverne &Shirley" for laughs. They thought disco was hip and computerswere for nerds. And they believed there was such a thing as theright brand of dishwashing liquid or the correct kind of car. Theywere typical American consumers--and back in 1977, the world ofbusiness still believed in them.

But a funny thing happened on the way to 1997. We discovered wewere not a nation of typical citizens with common market needs anda one-size-fits-all identity. We were large-sized women and singledads, ethnic minorities, yuppies and slackers, affluent seniors,savvy teens, gourmet coffee drinkers, self-made millionaires andburnouts seeking lives of voluntary simplicity. Instead of assumingthat one "head of household"--presumably a man--wascalling all the shots on purchases, businesses learned to recognizethe considerable economic muscle of women and children.

As we discovered this diversity, we also found the technology todifferentiate ourselves. Enter the age of target marketing, withcomputers to track our incomes, lifestyles and spending habits.Though niche marketing had already dawned in the '70s, in the'80s and '90s, it not only changed the landscape ofAmerican business, but it also changed the way consumers viewedthemselves.
Joe Average and Jane Doe are now history. In 1997, the typicalAmerican consumer has a name, a life and a laundry list ofparticular needs. And in the future, say experts, consumers willdemand even greater recognition of their individuality.