The Enneagram as a Psychographic Segmentation Tool

Abstract

Within Marketing, personality is used as a psychographic segmentation tool. Personality is a valuable segmentation tool because it can impact consumer behavior and purchasing decisions. Assessing the personality traits of consumers has evolved and become increasingly individualized. More simplistic measures of personality now serve as a launching ground towards the detailed ways consumers identify themselves using personality type evaluations. If marketers are not using these insights of modern personality assessments, they are missing an opportunity to increase consumer value. This study will explain the evolution of personality evaluation and suggest how to best utilize the tools of today to craft effective psychographic segments for targeting. A personality assessment called the Enneagram is the focus of this study. Consumers self-identify using this typography, taking away the guesswork for Marketers. The Enneagram assessment places each person in one of nine distinct categories, not allowing individuals to be a part of more than one core result. This study will build the bridge between previous personality research and the nine Enneagram categories. Through existing research on reaching consumers with specific personality traits, recommendations for each Enneagram type are crafted. By using the Enneagram as a psychographic segmentation tool, companies have the potential to increase consumer reach and value.