The New Chameleons

"If you're still marketing like Mad Men, you're missing tremendous opportunities in our newly fractured world. Michael shows how to reach real people instead of targeting stereotypes." * David Meerman Scott, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Fanocracy *
"After blowing up our decades-old model for understanding consumers, the first thing Michael Solomon does is, thankfully, give us everything we need to rebuild a new one. Even though we marketers knew deep down that consumers didn't fit so neatly in the "cages" we put them, we didn't have a better way of thinking or understanding them. But that's what this book does: by walking us through a series of the black-and-white thinking that got us in the mess in the first place, Solomon shows us the depth, breadth and opportunity that lies in all the beautiful shades of gray in between." * Tamsen Webster, Message Strategist, "Find the Red Thread" *
"The original chameleon himself, Michael Solomon has again provided the consumer research industry with a timely jolt to our established thinking into how brands can best uncover new or unmet needs. With an abundance of new tools, techniques and technologies at our disposal in 2020, The New Chameleons gives a pragmatic overview of the challenge and opportunity presented if we take a fresh perspective on segmentation...what would once have been classed as an "outlier" in research data could become your next big opportunity." * Sue Temple, Global Consumer & Shopper Insights Consultant, ex Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Woolworths & Nielsen *
"Human beings have escaped biology and, thus, gender. We have stepped beyond politics and nationality. The boxes they try and fit us into no longer work. Michael explains why the modern market researcher, census taker and pollster are getting it wrong - especially in a PostPan world." * Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping *
"Today's consumers are tough to classify. But thankfully we have Michael Solomon's new book to show us the way. Fun to read and deeply insightful, it's useful to anyone who wants help navigating this new world." * Jonah Berger, Author of Contagious and The Catalyst *
"Enabled by technology and accelerated by transformations of our global cultural and social ecosystems, traditional categorization of consumer behavior is out the window! Michael Solomon brilliantly helps us understand and navigate the continuously evolving and rapidly morphing intersections of marketers and consumers. This is a must-read not only for marketing professionals, but for all stakeholders in their brand's future in every function and at every level." * John Greco, Founder & Chairman, the Marketing IMPACT Council™. Former CEO of the Direct Marketing Association and former Director of AT&T Bell Laboratories’ Consumer Lab *
"Michael stiches the trends of today to the future of consumerism in a way that is both provocative and inspiring. This book should be required reading for every Marketer; it's a wake-up call to the undeniable truth that we need to think and attack our challenges in a profoundly new way." * Patrick Rodmell, President, Rodmell & Company Inc. *
"Michael Solomon proves yet again why he's such a trusted and insightful consumer behaviorist. In The New Chameleons, he explains why traditional segmentation is too blunt an instrument and outlines, in very practical terms, what marketers should do about it. This is a great read for marketing's modern age." * William F.N. Gullan, President, Finch Brands *
"When commercial borders between nations disappeared, so did many brands who could not adapt. Now that the borders between just about everything else in our culture are evaporating, how do you make sure your brand doesn't go the way of the dinosaurs? A great starting place is Professor Solomon's The New Chameleons, which provides insights and opportunities that could mark the difference between success and failure for anyone involved in marketing." * Martin Bihl, Executive Creative Director, LevLane, and Editor-in-Chief, the-agency-review.com *
"Simple lifestyle categories are gone for good; no consumer wants to be locked in category cage with a cute label. Michael Solomon introduces us to a new way of understanding and appreciating these new chameleon consumers. Brands should be branded with a label; consumers shouldn't." * Laura Ries, Co-author of The Immutable Laws of Branding, The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR *
"Michael Solomon introduces readers to two very different worlds: the real world where individual consumers float seamlessly from one connection to another, defying classification. And an alternative universe where marketers are still trapped by strictly defined consumer segments and media categories which bear no relationship to real customer behavior. It's time for marketers to make a quantum leap to the real world." * Leslie Zane, President, Triggers Brand Consultancy *
"The New Chameleons brings marketers to the edge of tomorrow, revealing deep insights for building the next generation of leading brands." * Derrick Daye, The Blake Project and Branding Strategy Insider *
"To use a term of Michael's, constellations from interfaces to services to physical goods make marketing today far more complex than even just 10 years ago. En masse is long over, and this rigorous dissection and complex reading made me feel like a got a Master's in marketing." * Karim Rashid, Industrial Designer *
"Michael Solomon skillfully articulates why today's brands must understand the postmodern consumer to remain relevant. The lines between consumer categories have long been converging, and The New Chameleons establishes the need for a brand's horizontal appeal and offers practical examples and actionable takeaways." * Asma Ishaq, CEO, Modere *