Sorry, but I have Colts on the brain this week. So do alot of other Hoosiers and even some who don’t call Indiana home.
You could say that Colts fans are an ideal definition of a niche market and one where geographical location plays less of a role than you might imagine.
Brain Gardner is a Colts fan who’s actually living in Chicago. (Watch the game at home Brian! It’s not going to be safe for you to be on the streets come 10:00 PM Sunday!) So while Brian lives outside of “official” Colts territory, he still identifies himself as part of that “niche audience.” My family lives in southern Florida, but as transplanted Hoosiers, we still root for the Colts even though we live less than 2 hours away from Dophin Stadium. Even though we’re physically far removed from Indiana, we’re also counted as part of that “niche market.”
The thing is, if you’re targeting Colts fans, you now have our undivided attention. What have you got for us? We’re ready, we’re listening. We are a niche market ready to whip out our billfolds and buy, buy, buy.
Oh, my hair dresser from Boston feels a bit differently about the whole thing. She’s a BIG Patriots fan and though I haven’t spoken to her in the past 10 days, I imagine she’s not donning a Peyton Manning jersey these days.
In this case, it’s easy to see that most Bostonians are NOT in the market for Colts gear this week. So defining your market as “NFL Football Fans” is TRULY too wide of a niche. How many people do you see displaying the NFL logo with pride? Can you see the difference between defining your niche as “NFL football fans” and “Colts fans”.
As you drive through neighborhoods in South Florida this week, you can instantly spot the Chicago transplants and their Hoosier counterparts. Very few homes are decorated with generic Super Bowl XLI to celebrate the event being held nearby, but Bears and Colts fans alike have dug deep to show their hometown pride.
THAT IS THE VALUE OF A NICHE MARKET!!! The question remains; How narrowly have you defined your niche?
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