Contents1.Geographic regions2.Red vs. Blue states3.Segmenting the wealthy4.Health nuts vs SAD5.Urban vs. Rural6.Segmenting the college educated7.Segmenting by cars driven8.Tech geeks vs. digital skeptics9.Segmenting immigrants10.Segmenting by travel style11.Segmentingbeauty consumers12.About us 513172126303539434752 Common misconceptions about US consumersMisconception: Americans are all status-oriented and spend a ton on luxuryReality:Compared to Chinese consumers, Americans spend much less of their income on luxury. Purchasing for enriching one’s status isoverblown byHollywood movies, as Americansdon’t value community as much as Chinese, they are not focused on purchases that are impressive to others.Conclusion:The US demand for subtle or low-key luxury is large.Misconception: A majority of people live in giant cities like New York and Los AngelesReality:Over half the population lives in suburbs, and there are more people living in rural areas than in urban areas. Many people living in suburbs commuteinto urban areas to work.Conclusion:Suburban consumers have different demands from urban, such as in yard care, furniture and housing, and automotive as they have longer andmore regular commutes.Misconception:Americans get kicked out of their house at 18 years oldand have to live completely independentlyReality:While Americans do value independence and 18 years is often the cut-off for financial independence from the family, a majority of families will stillprovide resources and help for their children into their 20’s.Conclusion:The consumption power of young adults starts at a lower-point as their parents give relatively little financial aid for startingtheir life.Misconception: Americans eat hamburgers and sandwiches every day.Reality:American cuisine is very diverse, as it is an immigrant nation, it pulls together cuisine from all over the world, and blendsthem to make new creations.Conclusion:There is a ton of demand for international F&B products and a majority of US consumers don’t stick to strict traditions whenitcomes to food.USconsumersaremoresimilartoChinesethanEuropeansintheirexperimentalandnon-traditionalattitudetowardsfood. This has created room for veryexperimental food like bubble tea pizza to go viral.Misconception: Americans are all very patriotic and think their country is the bestReality:While there’s no shortage of national pride in the US, it also comes with a heavy dose of willingness to criticize their owncountry. Many Americans alsocarry romanticized ideas of other countries and use other countries as examples of where the US can improve.Conclusion:US consumers are very open to foreign products, countries like Germany, Japan, France and Korea have earned positive connotations in terms ofbrand origin. 3 Key things to understand about US consumersThe US is more polarized than China in a wide range of thingsFor every stereotype one might have about the US, there is also a significant polar opposite population. Aside from politicalviews, which is perhaps the most obvious,here are some other examples: the US is known for its obesity, but also has a significant population of health-obsessed lean people. The US is known for its ignorance ofother countries, but on the contrary also has a significant population of world travelers and polyglots. There really is no onesingle image that can summarize USconsumers, hence its more useful to think of everything on spectrums.What marketers should know:Be aware of where on the spectrum your brand may fall. Some brands intentionally place themselves on either end of the spectrumwithmarketing messages, while other brands stay in the middle by avoiding polarizing marketing messages.Cultural and linguistic divides between regions isrelatively subtleAs an overwhelming majority of the US population only settled in the country within the last 500 years, the development of eachregion has not diverged significantly. Forexample, there is much more significant accent diversity in England than the entire US. On a similar note, regional culturaldifferences are more subtle and shaped by theimmigrant communities and history. There are much larger cultural differences between a Beijinger and a HongKongerthan between a New Yorker and a Californian.What marketers should know:This makes it easier for a product to spread through the country with little to no adaptationsThe US is an immigrant nationIn contrary to China where nationality, ethnicity, and culture can all be described as “Chinese”, the US is much more complicated.In the US, nationality, ethnicity andculture are three different things, and only a small portion of the population is ethnically native to the Americas. US cultureis continuously evolving with those whomigrate there and there is no singular image of what an “American” looks like.What marketers should know:Because of its diversity and economic power, the US is often a launching pad for products to go viral globally.As a whole, US consumers are not