Marketing, New Media and Consumer Segmentation

This Master Thesis analyzes the practices of marketing and segmentation from an Actor-network theory (ANT) perspective seeing the world as constructed and performed rather than given. The study contributes to the discussion around consumption and the creation or pre-existence of consumer ‘needs’. Interest is in developments within consumer segmentation practices and how new media has provided new possibilities for consumer data collection. A total of 11 interviews were conducted for understanding the practices of marketing and segmentation. Results show that marketers’ own ‘needs’ aiming for profitability are highly considered in segmentation studies working towards maximum commercial effectiveness. This research also demonstrates that surprisingly there is a great division between marketers and market researchers as these two groups can be considered highly diverse. Further, the limited role of new media technologies in segmentation practices was an unexpected research finding.