• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 5, 2007

The "urban consumer" is something of a misnomer, since people fitting that psychographic profile can be found in all walks of life, according to a new study from Alloy Media and Marketing.

With a mental landscape broadly shaped by hip hop and street culture, the 20 million members of this segment might actually be better identified as "urban hustlers," according to Tru Pettigrew, president of the Alloy Access division. And that includes kids in the 'burbs, since 39% of urban consumers are white.

"It really transcends race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status," Pettigrew explains. Since the common goal of the psychographic segment is acquiring more wealth, Pettigrew points out "there's really no finish line. And the starting point is irrelevant"--meaning the lifestyle is embraced by young people across the income spectrum.

Occupying a cultural niche largely defined by wealth and lifestyle, the "urban hustler" is obviously of interest to advertisers.

This 18- to-34-year-old segment, with an estimated $90 billion in purchasing power, is also at the forefront of interactive media. New blogs and social networks link consumers who personify the new-media user, because they're content producers, too. This arena offers real promise for reaching the urban hustler demo, especially through online interactive advertising and targeting the relevant content verticals. "This consumer is really about getting his or hers and establishing a higher standard of living for themselves," according to Pettigrew, who notes the affinity for product categories including cars, high-end clothing and accessories, shoes and sneakers, technology, entertainment, cell phones, PDAs and computers.

Advertisers hoping to reach members of this psychographic should incorporate "lifestyle relevant visuals, which show them how the product can be used for image enhancement."

This ethos of endless striving is reflected, for example, in respondents' disdain for entertainers and businesspeople they deem one-dimensional or limited.

"If you're just a rapper, they're not impressed by that anymore," says Pettigrew. "You have to be a producer, own a record label, have your own line of clothes."

This stance is neatly illustrated by their most admired figure, Bill Gates, who beats out Jay Z, P Diddy, and JLo. "Bill Gates is the ultimate hustler, if you think about it," Pettigrew observes. "He didn't finish school, he used his own resources to pursue his own vision, and he took what he knew and transformed it into a multibillion-dollar industry."