As a St. Louis, MO native, I’m very used to people asking me, “So, where did you go to high school?” While the question might seem off-putting to visitors, the question is asked with the best of intentions. St. Louis has an unusually high number of private and parochial schools in addition to an extensive public school system, so each high school has a very distinct culture and set of traditions, which often span generations.
The answer to “Where did you go to high school?” reveals a great deal of information about an individual. That answer can give you a sense of the person’s religion, economic background, friends and acquaintances, and the neighborhood in which they grew up. While many of these identifiers are based on stereotypes, they still reveal a great deal of true information about the subculture they were raised in – if you are familiar with the different high schools and their reputations, that is.
Marketing and Subcultures
Every city has a subculture, a set of quirks and traditions that makes it unique. In the same way that St. Louisans identify themselves by their high school alma mater, residents of other cities claim these regional traditions as part of their identity. This kind of inside knowledge can really make a marketing and branding campaign truly unique and effective. Knowing the economic background of your target audience, the kind of people they are acquainted with, and the quirks of their neighborhood can help your marketing team design a campaign that more effectively meets them where they are and addresses their specific concerns in a way that is comfortable to them.
The problem is, as much as I love to travel and explore new places, it just isn’t possible for me (or the rest of the IMS marketing team) to know the nuances of every Essential Attorney’s hometown. Online research has helped a lot, but, even so, that information is limited to the facts that are posted online. It is often difficult to find information on the “unofficial” culture, so-to-speak. So we need your help.
Where to Start? The Design Consultation
The design consultation meeting is a great time to tell us what you love about your target area. Tell us about the iconic landmarks and the things that everyone in the area “just knows”. What is your city’s equivalent of the high school question?
I love creating a truly personalized design for our clients. With your inside knowledge, together we can create a marketing system that really speaks to your local audience.