It's not uncommon for marketers to create fake people to represent typical customers to help them understand their target group, but one company is taking the concept a step further by creating living
spaces called "persona rooms" for its ersatz customers. A good example is the room developed by marketing agency Organic for DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group. It belongs to "Jenny," a
career-oriented pharmaceutical products seller who lives in Atlanta and owns a Jeep Compass. Candles flicker on her coffee table, a yoga mat is rolled up in the corner, and an
Elle magazine is
on the couch. "A Sex and the City" DVD plays on TV. A pet fish swims nearby to keep her company. Chrysler and Organic say the persona rooms have helped them to empathize with their customers and to
understand what moves and motivates them. "As soon as you see the room, you already have an idea of where we are going," says Colleen DeCourcy, executive creative director for Organic. "In this
marketplace where you have to work harder, faster and with fewer resources, that's exactly what you want."
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