American culture is widely perceived as competitive, fast‑paced and individualistic, long shaped by economic, technological and demographic trends and the vision of the US Founding Fathers.
American culture is widely perceived as competitive, fast‑paced and individualistic, long shaped by economic, technological and demographic trends and the vision of the US Founding Fathers. Much attention has been placed on modern political and cultural polarization – consumers differ greatly in how they engage with culture, media and each other. However, underlying core drives such as a desire for self‑determination and belonging remain widely shared – making broad narratives about “American culture” possible, as long as messaging takes into account consumers’ variations in the hows, whens, and whys of cultural discourse.
To analyze these differences, this Report segments US consumers into distinct archetypes of cultural engagement, providing a practical framework for understanding how culture is experienced and discussed. American culture IS fragmented, but best described in terms of the cultural needs of consumer segments identified by Mintel: be it the Polycultural Pioneer navigating trends, the Individualist Connoisseur protecting their niche expertise, the Resigned Traditionalist upholding cherished customs, or the Mainstream Conformists happily defining the mainstream. These segments, holistically described in this Report, are the major archetypes of cultural engagement in the US and should be used by brands as robust consumer models to guide optimal messaging and product design.
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
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Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
