The Heart of the Micromilieu: Why does every Micromilieu have a Core Value in Addition to a Value Framework?

In an increasingly complex society, traditional target group models are often no longer sufficient to understand consumer behavior, attitudes, and lifestyles. This is precisely where the Uranos Micromilieus come in: They enable a previously unattained level of granularity in the sociocultural segmentation of people by linking social status characteristics and value orientations. But what really lies behind a micromilieu?

In addition to a multitude of characteristics and attitudes, a closer look reveals a dominant core value in every micromilieu that significantly shapes the thinking and actions of the group members. This core value is the key to capturing the “personality” of a milieu and harnessing it for targeted use by brands, companies, or social projects.

In this article, we’ll be giving answers to the following topics:

• What defines a Uranos micromilieu?

• How are micromilieus structured (status & value orientation)?

• What role does the core value play?

• How does the core value differ from the value profile?

• Why is the core value important for targeting?

• Examples of core values in specific milieus (e.g. Lifestyle Elite, Green Urbanites)

The Foundation of Micromilieus: Two Central Value Dimensions

A micromilieu in the Uranos Micromilieu Model is fundamentally composed of two main value dimensions:

1. Social Status (y-axis):

• Determined by an individual's level of formal education and income.

• The higher the education and income, the higher an individual's position in the model.

2. Value Orientation (x-axis):

• Divided into conservative, modern, and progressive attitudes.

• Determined by various value attributes such as enthusiasm for technology, escapism, social and sexual freedom.

Within these two main axes, there are numerous specific values and characteristics – such as body awareness, consumerism, environmental sensitivity, brand affinity, etc. For each micromilieu, several of these values are combined, so that a milieu ultimately consists of a unique value profile that describes the central preferences, attitudes, and lifestyles of this group.

From value profile to core value: How does a micromilieu tick?

Is there, however, a main value that significantly determines the nature of each micromilieu? The answer is yes, because when analyzing and describing Uranos micromilieus, one can often identify a core value or a central motivation that particularly characterizes the respective milieu and clearly distinguishes it from others.

What does this mean in concrete terms?

While each micromilieu is characterized by a combination of several values (e.g., consumer orientation, motivation, environmental awareness, etc.), in practice, sociocultural analysis usually reveals a guiding value or a main orientation that gives the milieu its “identity.” This core value reflects the dominant attitude, motivation, or lifestyle of its members.

Examples of core values of individual Uranos micromilieus:

• Lifestyle Elite: The core value here is a focus on achievement combined with a passion for consumption and enthusiasm for innovation.

• Green Urbanites: A strong sense of environmental responsibility and responsibility is central.

• Ambitious Middle Class: Order and reliability as the basis for a secure, harmonious life.

• Hedonistic Millennials: Freedom and fun, especially in digital and lifestyle-oriented forms.

Why is this important?

The core value helps companies, in particular, to precisely position brands, products, or services by specifically addressing the core motivation of the target group. It is, in a sense, the “emotional core” of every milieu.

Conclusion:

An Uranos micromilieu arises from the specific combination of attributes from both core value dimensions (social status & value orientation) as well as from several detailed value characteristics that are derived from them and linked together. The exact number of individual values per milieu is not fixed across the board but is determined individually for each milieu based on sociocultural research.

Each micromilieu thus has several value characteristics, but there is often one core value that significantly determines the nature of the milieu and can serve as a compass for addressing and understanding this group. This main value functions as a kind of emotional core – and as such will become increasingly important in the coming years when it comes to being able to address and fascinate people in a targeted manner based on their nature and their wishes and needs.

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