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Acxiom®
Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) today announced the findings of a study
identifying the distinct characteristics of swing state voters. The
study, titled “The Purple States –
Why They Affect Elections,” lays out what the
presidential candidates should focus on in order to win these critical
votes.
The study shows that contrary to red and blue states that have
similarities across the lifestyle segments specific to each, purple
states are much more varied – a possible
reason why elections in these states are so close. The findings reveal
definite patterns that both candidates can leverage.
“Today, it is more important than ever to
target messages to individual consumers,”
said Ray Kraus, product manager for Acxiom. “Once
the correct targets have been identified, the next step is to determine
the most germane message possible. In this case, the content of the
correspondence must resonate with the voter so that the candidate’s
position on the issue is heard above the other noise of the day.”
The purple states document illustrated a process to identify targets and
define communications strategies in the political context; however, the
same principles and techniques can be used across all marketing
initiatives.
Acxiom found that the purple segments are more likely to be older than
the other groups, own homes in the suburbs, and be planning for
retirement. Their only nest egg tends to be an IRA, which may affect
their views on Social Security. Furthermore, their spending on
prescription drugs is higher than the other groups, and therefore they
are more likely to be concerned about the quality and affordability of
publicly financed health care.
Additionally, those in the purple segment tend to get their news from
newspapers and television news programs such as Fox News and CNN. The
blue segments are likely to watch CNN but also tend to watch CNBC and
MSNBC. The purple segment’s affinity for Fox
News supports other findings in this study that suggest they lean
further to the right.
While the study indicates the segments that best represent purple states
are slightly more conservative, both parties can be successful in swing
states by accurately targeting the right message to the right person.
“By examining the affinities and lifestyle
choices of the blue, red and purple segments, the data reveals that both
parties have an opportunity to win over the purple states,”
said Kraus. “Republicans could influence
purple state voters by appealing to their right-leaning tendencies, such
as fiscal conservatism, while Democrats could successfully counter these
messages by speaking to the obvious economic and health care issues. The
candidate who crafts the right message to voters in these states will
most likely find himself in the White House in January.”
The findings of this study were developed by analyzing 70 lifestyle
segments across the United States using Acxiom’s
PersonicX® market
segmentation system. PersonicX determined the demographic, attitudes,
behaviors and interests that differentiated voters in purple states from
those who consistently vote Democratic or Republican in presidential
elections.
About Acxiom
The global leader in interactive marketing services, Acxiom helps
clients connect with their customers through deep consumer insight that
enables effective and profitable marketing initiatives and business
decisions. Our consultative approach spans multiple industries and
incorporates decades of experience in consumer data and analytics,
information technology, data integration, and consulting solutions for
effective marketing across digital, Internet, email, mobile and direct
mail channels. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock,
Ark., and serves clients around the world from locations in the United
States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. For more information about Acxiom,
visit www.acxiom.com.
Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation.
PersonicX®
PersonicX® is Acxiom’s
household-level segmentation suite that places U.S. households in one of
70 distinct segments and 21 life-stage groups based upon specific
consumer behavior and demographic characteristics.