Strategic Market Segmentation and Targeting in the 21st Century : Ethical Challenges, Trends and Innovations
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | The chapter "Strategic Market Segmentation and Targeting in the 21st Century: Ethical Challenges, Trends, and Innovations" examines how political marketing has evolved alongside modern technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and big data analytics. The chapter outlines the foundations of segmentation and targeting strategies in campaigns, ranging from traditional demographic and geographic approaches to advanced psychographic profiling and micro-targeting. The authors pay special attention to the rise of social media and AI tools that enable unprecedented personalization while raising serious ethical and democratic concerns, such as polarization, manipulation, and loss of transparency. The authors critically assess the opportunities and risks of these innovations, referencing cases such as Cambridge Analytica. They argue for stronger ethical frameworks, regulation, and public oversight. Ultimately, the chapter emphasizes the dual nature of new technologies in political marketing, highlighting their potential as powerful instruments for engagement and efficiency while also acknowledging their capacity to threaten democratic integrity when used irresponsibly. |
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