The Customer Map Your Marketing Is Missing

Most marketing is a gamble.

You spend time and money on a message, push it out into the world, and hope it connects. But more often than not, it lands with a thud.

You’re either the brand shouting about a solution to someone who doesn't have a problem, or the one telling a lovely story to someone whose house is on fire.

The result is a costly disconnect. Businesses feel like they're guessing, wasting resources on initiatives that don't connect. It’s a primary source of the strategic overwhelm and inefficient ad spend that keeps leaders up at night.

The true problem lies with the map, not the message. Most companies operate with a one-dimensional view of their audience, leading them to bulldoze customers with the wrong approach.

But the best brands see the world in two dimensions. They understand every customer exists at an intersection of two critical axes:

• The Problem Axis: How urgent is the problem you solve for them right now?

• The Relationship Axis: How strong is their preference for your brand?

When you can pinpoint a customer on this grid, you can finally stop guessing and start guiding.

The Bulldozer vs. The Guide

The 1D Bulldozer operates on a single track. On the Problem Axis, it pushes a hard sales pitch at everyone, assuming high urgency. On the Relationship Axis, it pushes brand content, assuming everyone has time for a story. It’s constantly shouting because it's missing half the context.

The 2D Guide, however, first asks, "Where is this person on the map?"

The Guide knows the message for someone with a leaky pipe and no brand preference is completely different than for a loyal fan who is perfectly happy.

The Guide diagnoses before prescribing, which is the foundation of an effective strategy.

Let’s plot this on the map with a master of the craft.

Case Study: Apple's Four Territories

1. Low Urgency / Low Brand Preference (The Uninitiated)

This is a happy Android user whose phone works perfectly. The problem of needing a new phone isn’t pressing, and their preference for Apple is low.

Apple's Strategy: Direct iPhone ads are wasted here. Instead, Apple plays the long game of cultural osmosis. Its products appear in movies. Its "Shot on iPhone" billboards showcase a beautiful result rather than a technical feature. The goal is to gently build brand admiration from a distance, so the preference axis slowly shifts in their favor over time.

2. High Urgency / Low Brand Preference (The Switcher)

This is an Android user whose phone just broke. The problem is now highly pressing. They are forced to consider an iPhone, but their preference is low or even negative.

Apple's Strategy: The marketing becomes intensely practical and reassuring. Dedicated web pages for "Switching to iPhone" address key fears like losing photos and contacts. The Genius Bar serves as a safety net, promising that expert help is always available.

The goal shifts from trying to build love to simply lowering the friction of the transaction and winning the sale at the critical moment of need.

3. Low Urgency / High Brand Preference (The Fan)

This is Apple’s core audience. They already own an iPhone that works fine. The problem of needing a new one is not urgent, but their brand preference is sky-high.

Apple's Strategy: Nurture the relationship. They deliver value outside of a purchase. Free iOS updates make a two-year-old phone feel new. Ecosystem services like iCloud and Apple Arcade deepen the relationship. "Today at Apple" sessions teach them how to get more from the device they already own.

This reinforces their loyalty and makes switching away feel unthinkable.

4. High Urgency / High Brand Preference (The Loyal Upgrader)

This is a current iPhone user with a cracked screen, a dying battery, or just a strong desire for the latest model. The problem is pressing, and the preference is already locked in.

Apple's Strategy: Make upgrading easy and exciting. The annual September keynote is a masterclass in creating urgency. The Apple Trade-In program directly addresses the cost barrier. The entire process is streamlined.

At this stage, convincing them to love Apple is unnecessary. They only require a compelling reason and a simple path to act.

The Map Is a Blueprint, Not a Bullseye

Now, here’s a crucial distinction. This map works best as a blueprint for your entire marketing portfolio, rather than a tool for micro-targeting individual customers in real-time. You can't know the exact moment an Android user’s phone breaks.

Instead, think of this as a blueprint for your entire marketing portfolio. The goal is to ensure you have the right types of messages active in the market simultaneously.

Your long-term brand ads are serving the Uninitiated, while your practical "how-to-switch" content is waiting to be found by the Switcher. Your community engagement nurtures the Fans, and your upgrade offers are ready for the Loyal Upgrader.

The aim is to build a complete system that creates a welcoming path for every type of customer, moving beyond the old model of forcing one message on everyone.

How to Draw Your Own Map

Is your marketing strategy a bulldozer? Are you pushing one message at an audience that lives in four different territories? To gain clarity, you have to see the world as it is.

Ask these questions about your business:

• Where do your customers live? Sketch out the 2x2 grid: Problem Urgency (Low to High) on the vertical axis and Brand Preference (Low to High) on the horizontal. Where do your different customer segments sit? Are you neglecting an entire quadrant?

• What is your long game for the Uninitiated? How are you building a good reputation with people who don't need you today, but might need you in a year? This is the work that separates fleeting brands from iconic ones.

• Are you serving the Switcher? For those with a high-urgency problem but low preference, is your message focused on reducing friction and risk? Or are you trying to tell them your life story when their house is on fire?

• Are you nurturing the Fan? For your loyal customers with no immediate need, how are you delivering value between purchases? Or do you only talk to them when you want them to buy something?

• Are you exciting the Loyal Upgrader? For your biggest fans with a pressing need, how are you making it easy and compelling for them to act? Is the path to purchase streamlined, or are you creating unnecessary hurdles?

Stop pushing everyone down a single path. Start by asking where they are on the map.

The person with an urgent need requires proof and a simple process. The person without one needs connection and value.

By seeing your world in two dimensions, your path to building a more resilient, beloved brand becomes infinitely clearer.

Onward,

Aaron Shields

P.S. Is your marketing strategy a bulldozer, pushing one message at an audience living in four different territories? It's a sign your customer map is one-dimensional. Reply to this email and I’ll set up a free 15-minute call where we’ll explore how you can start moving toward multidimensional marketing.