Dear Tim et al,
As an (ex) user of market research of that magnitude, I would say
psychographics certainly complement demographics, but I dont think their
application need necessarily focus mainly on current clientele.

As opposed to demographics measuring -- age, sex, income, education etc;
psychographics measure personality or lifestyle characteristics -- e.g.
compulsive, gregarious, ambitious and so on -- they can get more interesting
than my examples.  As I recall, determining relevant characterisitics is
something of a black art and then quantifying them -- which is all important
-- takes time and quite a lot of money.

But, if someone wishes to know whether it is advisable to present their
institution -- say --more like a mall than a museum, then psychographics
would be important in determing whether the existing (or potential new)
museum goer would find this shift appealing.

Michael McLoughlin
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