AARP Case Study
The Situation
AARP has long been interested in reaching out to Hispanics[1]. However, Hispanics and Hispanic markets are very diverse. For example, as a group, Hispanics in Miami, who tend to be fairly recent immigrants from Cuba and other Caribbean countries, have little in common with Hispanics in San Antonio, whose ancestors may have come to the U.S. from Mexico before Texas was a state. The challenge then was to develop a way to segment the entire Hispanic market in the U.S. in a way that could be applied across markets.
[1]For the purposes of this discussion, the term “Hispanics” also includes Latinos.
The Process
AARP commissioned Becky Quarles’ company to conduct 13 separate studies of Hispanic markets in the U.S. with the objective of defining targetable segments that cut across markets. More than 5,500 interviews were conducted by telephone in both English and Spanish.
Results
Respondents were segmented using nearly 200 variables reflecting acculturation levels, media and social media use, within-market geography, demographics, and other locator variables. Once the segments were defined, Becky Quarles analyzed each segment to better understand its characteristics, attitudes, and relevant behavior. Finally, Becky Quarles used predictive modeling to identify the AARP image attributes and product/service benefits that would be most effective in convincing members of each segment to either join or renew membership in AARP. The results provided clear guidance for marketing to Hispanics in each segment on both the national and local level.
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