Read the case study: THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF COOL

The iPod is 20 years old this year and helped to shape Steve Jobs' legacy. It is hard to believe, but at first, it was not cool at all. They only sold 550 000 units in the first 9 months of 2018 whereas iPhone sales averaged 150 000 sales a day in 2018!

Marketing gurus will say that it is iTunes that turned things around for iPod sales. However, what actually made iPod and iPod owners cool, was Hip-hop. WHY Hip-hop? Apple underwrote the production of new videos from Interscope records. In return, iPods featured prominently in those videos. One of the hottest artists was rapper, 50Cent'. His video, P.I.M.P', started with him holding his iPod and spinning the dial to highlight "Playlists". The click followed footage that created images and a scene of unending, "decadent luxury"

What happened?

Prospective Apple clients could perhaps not afford a life of luxury, BUT they could afford an iPod. Straight after 50Cent's video started trending, other artists also wanted iPods. This led to consumers grabbing Apple's offerings. Apple used "a smart cross-cultural or multicultural marketing strategy". They did not only succeed in marketing to different demographic groups but across demographic groups.

What are the implications for the salesperson?

The salesperson has had to adapt to the new technology to fulfil the new working requirements and cater for the evolving market. The working demands for a salesperson are conveniently divided into two viz; selling and non-selling activities. The non-selling activities have required more attention because of new technology making some of the activities redundant. Sales presentations have also witnessed changes. The use of videos, and podcasts have been game-changers, especially with the different demographic groups.

What does this mean for you as a marketer?

Berinato says that "technology is helping us identify new, more complex demographic groups". The thing that defines us, is no longer only in line with traditional demography categories. New ways to look at what defines groups (prospective clients), can "reshape our understanding of current events" According to Steve Stoute (The Tanning of America:2020) Hip-hop music helped shape a new culture, one of "shared mental complexion", where a person's age, race, income and location do not matter any longer. He argues that the only thing that matters is a specific mindset. According to him, the Hip-hop culture chooses what is cool or no longer cool.

In the article 'The Demographics Of Cool', the writer states that marketers should define a market by HOW THE PEOPLE IN THIS MARKET THINK. Markets should NOT ONLY be defined by who is part of the market. Another example of a kind of market that defies traditional market segmentation along demographic lines, is sport. "Sports defies demographics more than any other product". (Think about children collecting sports cards, and your grandfather/uncles debating their favourite teams). It is a shared attitude more than traditional demographic demarcation. Back to the iPod. After Apple sealed the deal with Interscope, Apple sold 28 million iPods in 24 months. But more than that, they got three-quarters of the digital music business. Their earnings quadrupled.

Question: Imagine you are appointed to Apple's new iPod007 sales team. As part of your induction, you are asked to identify and discuss essential qualities for salespeople to have. In your discussion, give a short explanation of each quality and then illustrate with one example relevant to the iPod007.