New Era has manufactured high-quality caps for generations. With 100 years under their belt, they are the world leader in headwear and are the official cap of many renowned sporting leagues locally and internationally. But their offering goes beyond simply sport: New Era caps are also a fashion statement for an eclectic group of consumers. With a product that has such broad appeal, New Era needed to sharpen their understanding of who their priority consumer targets should be to drive success.

The benefits of a buyer persona or consumer target are that it ensures business decisions are driven by customer insights and puts all departments on the same page. Marketing, sales, product development, and customer support all have the same view of their target customers.

To determine New Era’s buyer personas, Bastion Insights conducted a large scale quantitative research piece with Australian consumers. We were then able to identify, validate and ultimately produce a number of key customer target groups. While many different models were explored, the final solution was based on attitudes towards fashion, popular culture, and sport. Priority customer groups were identified and profiled for New Era to focus future marketing efforts.

Importantly, these personas were then brought to life by our sister agency Bastion Banjo. Banjo produced compelling, bespoke visual guides for designers and marketers within the business in conjunction with the insights team: to ensure consumer targets are brought to life and fully integrated into the business.
—

“The buyer personas that Bastion Insights researched and created for us have helped shape our ongoing marketing strategy. Understanding our target audience segments is instrumental in effectively reaching our key consumers.” General Manager – New Era