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MK342: Advertising (Gustafson)

This Bentley Library research guide has been prepared for students taking MK342 Advertising with Professor Lee Gustafson during Fall 2025.

Claritas PRIZM Premier Consumer Segmentation

Claritas PRIZM Premier is a consumer segmentation system that classifies every U.S. household into one of 68 consumer segments. The segments are defined according to socioeconomic rank including characteristics such as income, education, occupation, home value, and technology use. The 68 segments are also grouped into 11 Lifestage Groups and 14 Social Groups. Lifestage Groups are based on affluence, householder age, and presence of children at home. Social Groups are based based on affluence and whether they live in a city, second-tier city, the suburbs, or small towns and rural areas. 

Claritas PRIZM Premier data is available in two databases - PolicyMap and Meregnt Intellect:

  • Search Tip: Starting on the PolicyMap landing page click on Curated Collections, then select Market Segmentation Data from Claritas. Watch this 5 minute video to learn how to use Claritas PRIZM in PolicyMap:

  • Search Tip: On the landing page click on the [Demographics] tile. Choose a geographic region - county, zip code (compare up to 4 codes), or place/city.