In 2013, research from McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain found that in the coming years, among Chinese consumer groups, households with annual incomes of 100,000 to 200,000 RMB will be the fastest-growing segment, with their share of households rising from 6% in 2010 to 28% by 2015, providing rapid market growth for mid-range goods (including housing). According to McKinsey, by 2010, there were about 4.67 million households with annual incomes above 200,000 RMB, accounting for 2% of all households; by 2015, this number will more than double, with the share rising to 4%. These figures illustrate a fact: to lock onto ever-changing consumers, relying on the vague, broad mass market of the past may no longer be feasible. In today's China, the era of "one size fits all" mass consumption, characterized by homogeneity and uniformity, has ended. Social consumer groups are re-dispersing and re-aggregating, evolving into a highly segmented "selective mass" era of niche, personalized consumption. The Fragmentation of the Mass Market In the Chinese market, any industry is considered to have vast space because China has 1.354 billion people, 657 cities, and extensive county and rural markets. However, today, any industry in China is crowded with competitors, especially in the FMCG sector, where many product categories and brands are already oversupplied. Faced with a dazzling array of goods, consumers have become picky and have evolved into different segmented groups. Although every company tries to capture all consumers, the reality is that covering the entire mass market has become a beautiful but extremely difficult endeavor. Regional differences, cultural diversity, complex market structures, and diverse consumers have shattered the dream of a single product or brand covering the entire mass market. In the consumer goods sector, relying on carpet-bombing strategies to break into the market and gain market position is increasingly difficult. In the past, many consumer goods entered the market with a broad, full-line coverage strategy, launching a generic product that seemed to appeal to everyone from young to old, then advertising on mass media like television, followed by nationwide distribution and point-of-sale placement, using a combination of "high-altitude bombing" and "ground forces" to achieve market coverage. But today, such a model is hard to guarantee success. On one hand, the effectiveness of mass media like television is declining because more mainstream consumers no longer watch TV, while TV advertising costs are rising. Ten years ago, 30 million RMB on CCTV could make a brand well-known; today, 300 million RMB on CCTV might go down the drain. With media channel diversification and fragmented consumer attention, relying on mass media to hit the most valuable consumer segments is difficult. Add the costs of nationwide distribution, shelf placement, and promotions, and such expenses are not affordable for all companies. If product positioning is unclear, the product may die before it even gets off the ground. Consumers are aggregating by "tribe" and moving across different times and spaces. Companies must understand consumers not as simple individuals performing a purchase action, but as living beings driven by both external behavior and internal psychology, combining sensibility and rationality. Therefore, for any consumer product to succeed in the Chinese market today, the core logic is no longer to capture all consumers at once, but to first find the selective mass audience for their category, and use them to lead the mass market, thereby achieving economies of scale. Today, in many consumption scenarios, we can see the "selective mass" phenomenon: more and more people gather in mid-to-high-end fitness clubs to maintain their energy, vitality, and competitiveness through exercise; IT digital products, cars, and fashion luxury goods are increasingly personalized and stylized... The "selective mass" era is forming a new marketing logic: marketing to the "advanced consumer group" in the market is increasingly driven by values, and the consumption symbols formed in this process also lead mass consumption trends. An Exciting Era The rise of the selective mass stems from consumers' pursuit of quality. German sociologist G. Simmel said, "The more exciting the era, the faster fashion changes," meaning the more fashionable, the more marketable. China is in such an "exciting era" of rapid socio-economic development, where people's pursuit of fashion is changing with each passing day. Consumers' demand for intrinsic "quality" in products is constantly being refreshed. Research shows that not only houses, home appliances, cars, IT products, and luxury goods, but also clothing, daily food, and shoes have become areas where people care most about quality. Brands that emphasize quality must have connotations and benefits that satisfy a quality life and convey a lifestyle. The selective mass is not simply a demographic or communication concept; it integrates sociology, consumer behavior, marketing, economics, and communication. It can be broken down into four levels:
First, "selective": the selective mass distinguishes and differentiates from mass consumption;
Second, "elite": the selective mass has exemplary and leading qualities;
Third, "refined": selective mass consumption represents trends and directions;
Fourth, "savvy": the selective mass has a voice and their own opinions. According to a 2013 study by the National Advertising Research Institute, China's urban selective mass consumers account for 11.6% of the total urban population, growing at an average annual rate of 3%-5%. This group represents the majority of China's consumption power and is the pioneer group that companies should pay attention to at all stages of marketing, even prioritizing them. Ding Junjie, Dean of the National Advertising Research Institute, said that consumer behavior not only has levels but also "lineage" genes. Consumption is not just a satisfaction of needs but also a "class" rehearsal. Behind the fragmentation of the mass is the re-aggregation and completion of the selective mass, so the selective mass is a scene and context. Jin Dinghai, Director of the Academic Committee of the China Advertising Association and Deputy Dean of the School of Humanities and Communication at Shanghai Normal University, noted that the value of consumption space is very important. People are grouped by kind, and also by space. Whether consumers go to bars, cafes, or fitness clubs, the quality of the crowd differs, and the value of the space differs. Being wealthy, having leisure, being open, and sharing are the portraits of the selective mass. The Marketing Value of the Selective Mass According to statistics, the selective mass, accounting for 11.6% of China's urban population, is mainly composed of the post-70s and post-80s generations. 82.5% of them are married, over half are company managers, and their average monthly household income is 29,584 RMB. These figures indicate that the selective mass is the group most capable of leading trends and fashion in the market. An in-depth analysis of the selective mass reveals they are "four-have" new consumers: First, they have plans for the future. Whether for career or personal success, they manage their time and have clear needs. Therefore, the core of the selective mass is adherence to positive energy and positive values;
Second, they balance work and life. Their definition of success first includes a healthy body, a warm family, and a high quality of life, followed by a solid financial foundation. The selective mass are the leaders of mainstream values;
Third, they have a sense of social responsibility. They are willing to help others and pay attention to social progress;
Fourth, they set an example for the masses. Most of the selective mass hope to be trendsetters; they are fashion leaders. To differentiate from the masses, they constantly experience and try new things, leading the masses to follow. Thus, the selective mass are also leaders of mass consumption and are constructing the fashion that the masses chase. What is more noteworthy is that the selective mass market is both scarce and segmented. The scarcity lies in the consumption spaces themselves being exclusive. For example, the National Advertising Research Institute's survey shows that 55.7% of the selective mass go to fitness clubs, 53.5% to trendy restaurants, 33.8% to wellness clubs, and 22.9% to beauty salons. These venues are not mass-consumption places and have certain entry barriers. The segmentation lies in these spaces where people have re-aggregated due to lifestyle changes, forming new groups and condensing new consumption energy. Companies can tap into these spaces to build marketing platforms for deep communication and dialogue with consumers. For example, a domestic media group, Active Media, locks onto the selective mass fitness crowd in over 2,300 mid-to-high-end fitness clubs across 35 cities in China, developing a three-dimensional marketing channel that includes flat frames, striking creative shapes, embedded product experiences, and interactive offline activities, serving well-known automotive companies such as Subaru, Audi, BMW, and Chrysler. Besides spatial segmentation, content can also segment the selective mass. Their information platforms, media habits, and communication patterns differ greatly from the masses. For instance, Hunan Satellite TV is positioned as "entertainment," which is also a selective mass division. Shanghai's "First Financial" channel targets high-end financial audiences. Douban is only for literary youth. The selective mass can be further subdivided through content maps, interest maps, circles, and relationship maps. For companies, building selective mass circles is of great value. On August 29, 2013, the "Volvo Elite Owner Club" was officially established in Chengdu. The club consists of Volvo owners and is themed "Gathering Elites, Practicing Charity," advocating a safe, healthy, and high-quality life, aiming to bring more positive energy and happiness to society through organizing and supporting public welfare activities. Fu Qiang, President and CEO of Volvo Car China Sales Company, said: "Rare things are refined, and wise and brave people are heroes. The establishment of the Volvo Elite Owner Club is precisely to unite the power of elite groups and practice Volvo's brand philosophy of 'human-centric' on Chinese soil through concrete actions." Positive energy, pursuit of self-independence, emphasis on unique style, and pursuit of a distinctive lifestyle... are redefining the selective mass's demands for products and brands. To influence them, companies must incorporate these factors into their brands. Take Subaru's "Confidence in Motion" as an example; it aligns with this consumer logic, and its advertising is deliberately carried out in fitness venues where the selective mass gathers, which is marketing that conforms to the selective mass consumption logic. The future Chinese consumer market will be a new stratified structure brought about by consumption spaces. Therefore, the issue for companies today is not to impress all the masses, but to find the truly valuable consumer groups, use the selective mass to lead the masses, and boldly innovate in marketing to find a way out. The market is being continuously segmented, with "difference," "personalization," "refinement," and "sophistication" becoming new themes. Reply with the following keywords to categorize and read related professional articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Stagnation, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misconceptions, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Closing Orders, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Cross-region Sales, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, New Salespeople, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Franchise Recruitment, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Inventory Pressure, Holidays, Distributor Cost Control, Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report.