Are you an ABC1, C1, C2..... Blah blah

[Vagabond]

I work in an industry that constantly divides people into socio-economic groups based on job/income/newspaper reading habits. That's how we are all classified in this country, by the way. You might not have known this. But it's true.

So, based on the fact that this is how most marketing decisions are made about us as a population, do you know where you stand? I'm very curious to know.
BTW, England is one of the only Western countries to class people by the newspaper they read. Just saying......I think that's kind of sick considering that one of the best selling newspapers features a page three girl. Again.... Just thinking.....

I have no idea what your question is.

I can't think of anyone or form, or anything asking me which newspaper I read.

I have heard of these groups, but have no idea how they are defined, so I couldn't tell you.

Have you got a link to where the divides are?

I don't think anyone would know off the top of their heads

(I'm probably at the bottom end of whatever definition you use )

I don't read newspapers - what does that make me?! Non existent?

Hmmm, wonder if the Mail online counts.....

I have no idea what socio-economic group I'm in.

I've moved careers, I earn less now than I used to, I read the news online on the BBC or listen on TV.

Does socio-economic grouping take account of your spouse/partner? What if you have very different "profiles"?

I don't see why it's sick - practical, maybe? It doesn't mean 'they' know what newspaper every individual reads. It means (made up example) that Boden would advertise in the Telegraph, Frugi in the Guardian, and Primark in the Sun. Not really seeing the controversy? (and before anyone tells me they read the Sun and wear Boden - it's about generalisations, not individuals)

Acorn and Mosaic are used more now though. I like to think of myself as a little acorn ;)

I've heard these, but never found a good link to definitions. Just marketing company ads.

Definition here

I'm not in england, i'm in scotland, so is it different here or did you just forget about the scots/welsh/ni? :-)

I did market research as a student and we had to call random numbers. I had to weed out Ds and Es most of the time and it was horrible, particularly given about a third of the country are DEs

I am a B according to that link - so why are we so flipping poor????????

I used to be a C1 - now I'm an E. When I did market research there used to be a glut of C3s - I wonder when they reclassified it all?

When i was at uni i had an internship at a national gallery and they had someone on the door who registered what socio-economic groups people came from by looking at them (also ethnicity).

I then got various jobs in various arts organisations - It was in the late 90's when access and inclusion was huge and funding depended on whether you could prove you appealed to lower social groups and ethnic minorities.

A lot of funding for exhibitions were turned down because they were considered too white and 'high-brow'. Which is ridiculous as it is very nannying for a gov to decide what we need rather then letting the market decide.

Also because most of the people working in the galleries (the decision makers) were white, upper class and male you would have these toe curling meetings where they would be sitting round what would appeal to black people/working class muslim women etc.

I especially like the way you fall off the chart as soon as you have a bambino and stay at home for a while :o Or work in anything arty / creative.

I'd be a B I think.

I think marketeers have become a little more savvy than just abcd1 etc. Definitions vary by socioeconomic class but also lifestyle eg "empty nesters", mindset e.g. "environmentally aware, engaged, active etc. Shopper habits. I don't find it sick I find it necessary to divide a population for a business model, charities etc all do the same thing. Creative briefs however should try to encapsulate the thoughts, feelings and actions of the groups targeted. How else could you possibly do it?

Grouping people doesn't mean that you expect every individual in that group to behave like sheep, you have total awareness that a % will respond and a % won't as you can't categorise humans so completely, it's more about getting those %'s right so YABU

B+

ABC1 and stuff is purely a marketing tool. As Softly says, it's more complex now. I have vague memories of the retail chain I worked for years ago have C1W as their target group. Which apparantly was professional middle aged women with disposable income.

The governments social classification system of the populations is:

1. Employers and managers in large organisations eg company directors, bank managers, senior civil servants

1.2 Higher professionals eg doctors, lawyers, vicars, teachers

1. Lower managerial and professional occupations eg nurses, police, soldiers, journalists

1. Intermediate occupations eg clerks, secretaries, computer operators

1. Small employers and own account workers eg publicans, farmers, painters and decorators

1. Lower supervisory, craft and related occupations eg printers, plumbers, bus inspectors, butchers

1. Semi-routine occupations eg shop assistants, bus drivers, posties, hairdressers.

1. Routine occupations eg waiters, cleaners labourers

1. Never worked/long term unemployed

(Just covered it this week as part of my degree)

What I meant really was that newspaper readership is so closely aligned with classs in British society. That is not usual in other Western societies. Hence, my flippant remark (sick) re page 3 girls.

Of course, it could be that England is one of the few countries to have a true national press -unlike most countries that have regional press (ie., Canada, USA where national press - certainly page 3 girls- is non-existent). Their countries are just too big for national press.

I used to work at a market research call centre while I was at uni and we used to have to ask some people questions about their jobs at the end in order to put them into these groups. I don't think it involved any questions about which newspaper they read!

I have ranged from a B to an E within the past year.

I've filled out many forms which ask income bracket, job, newspaper etc - I dread to think what bracket I'm in though as I generally decide on the day what I read and how professional I think my job makes me. I never lie about the income bracket but do include WTC,CTC and childcareTC in it.

no wonder I get some wierd advertisments in the post/ email!