Cut through personas to focus on what matters

Personas are useful and useless. It depends on where you stand, how you view them, and what you want to use them for. You’re already agreeing or disagreeing unless you’re an extraordinarily objective person who’s thinking “prove it”. Cheekiness aside, by thinking and brainstorming about personas for menstrual products we will uncover ways our cognitive fixedness prevents innovation and then consider why marketing personas might be ineffective.

Menstrual products you ask? Why yes! Specifically for this reason. Approximately half the population of the world will need to use them for a period of time (pun unintended) and it is a topic where people might expect the users to know the product really well which makes it a perfectly captivating topic! Even people who’ve used such products for decades are likely to miss key jobs for some people because of their own bias or cognitive fixedness.

First I’m going to insert a picture related to innovation to help keep you from scanning before doing a quick exercise. Don’t scroll yet!!

Type out or write three or more personas for menstrual products. Then scroll.

Here are the first 50 personas ChatGPT created:

1. Eco-conscious Emma: An environmentally aware woman who prioritizes sustainable and reusable menstrual products like menstrual cups or cloth pads.

2. Busy Bee Beth: A career-focused woman looking for convenient and discreet menstrual products to accommodate her hectic schedule.

3. Teen Trendsetter Tara: A fashionable and trend-savvy teenage girl who seeks menstrual products that align with her style and preferences.

4. Health-conscious Hannah: A woman who prioritizes natural and organic menstrual products to support her overall well-being.

5. Active Amy: A fitness enthusiast seeking menstrual products that provide comfort and flexibility during physical activities.

6. Budget-friendly Bella: A cost-conscious woman looking for affordable menstrual products without compromising quality.

7. Tech-savvy Tanya: A woman who prefers ordering menstrual products online, seeking convenience and quick delivery.

8. Wellness Warrior Willow: A holistic health advocate interested in menstrual products that align with her overall wellness goals.

9. Comfort-seeker Chloe: A woman who prioritizes comfort and ease of use in her menstrual product choices.

10. Minimalist Mia: A woman who values simplicity and minimalism, seeking uncomplicated menstrual products.

11. Trendy Tracy: A woman who follows the latest trends and desires menstrual products that are stylish and chic.

12. Family-oriented Fiona: A mother who needs menstrual products that fit her busy family life and provide reliability.

13. Traveler Taylor: A woman who frequently travels and requires compact and travel-friendly menstrual products.

14. First-time Flo: A young woman navigating her first experiences with menstruation, seeking beginner-friendly products.

15. Mature Michelle: A woman experiencing menopause seeking specialized menstrual products for this life stage.

16. Charity-supporter Charlotte: A woman who prefers menstrual products associated with charitable causes or donations.

17. DIY Danielle: A creative woman interested in making her own menstrual products or using DIY alternatives.

18. Wellness Blogger Wendy: An influencer in the wellness space who shares insights on natural and holistic menstrual products.

19. Fashionista Faith: A woman with a keen interest in fashion, looking for menstrual products that complement her style.

20. Educator Ellie: A teacher or educator seeking menstrual products that are discreet and convenient for long work hours.

21. Multitasking Millie: A woman juggling multiple roles who needs reliable menstrual products that keep up with her busy life.

22. Comfortable Carla: A woman with specific comfort requirements due to medical conditions, seeking products tailored to her needs.

23. Body-positive Bridget: A woman promoting body positivity and seeking menstrual products that embrace diverse body shapes.

24. Sustainable Sonia: An advocate for sustainability who values eco-friendly and biodegradable menstrual products.

25. Empowered Erin: A confident and empowered woman who seeks menstrual products that support her active lifestyle.

26. Nostalgic Natalie: A woman who prefers traditional menstrual products like tampons or pads and is resistant to newer alternatives.

27. Period-positive Penelope: An advocate for breaking the stigma around menstruation, seeking products that promote positive conversations.

28. Luxury-loving Lucy: A woman who indulges in premium and luxurious menstrual products for a pampered experience.

29. Vegan Victoria: A woman who follows a vegan lifestyle and looks for menstrual products that align with her ethical choices.

30. Holistic Harmony Harper: A woman who values holistic living and seeks menstrual products that integrate seamlessly into her holistic lifestyle.

When ChatGPT was asked if it could ‘think’ of any more personas that have different functional needs it outputted 20 more personas:

31. Nighttime Nina: A woman who needs menstrual products specifically designed for nighttime use, providing extra comfort and protection.

32. Sensitive Skincare Sarah: A woman with sensitive skin seeking hypoallergenic and dermatologist-approved menstrual products.

33. Rapid Absorption Rachel: A woman with heavy flow seeking menstrual products known for quick and efficient absorption.

34. Odor-sensitive Olivia: A woman who prioritizes menstrual products with enhanced odor control features for added freshness.

35. Postpartum Paula: A new mother looking for menstrual products suitable for postpartum use, providing comfort and support.

36. Light Flow Lila: A woman with a light menstrual flow looking for products designed for minimal absorption.

37. Sustainable Swimmer Sally: A woman who enjoys swimming and requires menstrual products suitable for water activities.

38. Workplace Warrior Wanda: A professional woman who needs discreet and reliable menstrual products suitable for long work hours.

39. Allergen-free Alice: A woman with allergies seeking menstrual products that are free from common allergens.

40. Teen Athlete Talia: A teenage athlete looking for menstrual products that offer flexibility and comfort during sports activities.

41. Post-surgery Petra: A woman recovering from surgery who needs gentle and comfortable menstrual products during the healing process.

42. Postpartum Fitness Fiona: A fitness-focused new mother seeking menstrual products suitable for her postpartum fitness routine.

43. Occasional User Olivia: A woman with irregular periods or infrequent menstruation looking for products suitable for occasional use.

44. Menstrual Migraine Marty: A woman who experiences menstrual migraines and seeks menstrual products that provide comfort during episodes.

45. Post-surgery Supportive Sam: A woman who underwent gynecological surgery and needs supportive and gentle menstrual products.

46. Teen Outdoor Enthusiast Tina: A teenage girl who enjoys outdoor activities and requires menstrual products suitable for camping, hiking, and other adventures.

47. Menstrual Cup Convert Maddie: A woman transitioning to menstrual cups and seeking products that facilitate a smooth transition.

48. Retro Rebecca: A woman who prefers reusable and vintage-inspired menstrual products, such as cloth pads or period underwear.

49. Virtual Worker Vicky: A woman working remotely who needs menstrual products that offer comfort during long hours of virtual meetings.

50. Postpartum Yoga Yara: A yoga enthusiast and new mother looking for menstrual products suitable for her postpartum yoga practice.

Now here’s a brainstorm of jobs of 57 functional jobs, 16 emotional jobs and 14 social jobs. You might find some surprising. Don’t get too hung up on whether they are in the right category – there’s often overlap – and the categories are meant to help you push you to consider beyond the functional dimension.

Note for the sake of everyone’s comfort I tried to word things or omit jobs that would possibly cause a bit too much discomfort for the purpose of this exercise. You'll need to zoom in on your browser to read. (2nd image is a zoomed in version of only Functional Jobs).

Now that we've established LinkedIn makes sharing detailed images challenging...

Now what?

So now what do you do with this data? The next step would be to group jobs by how they are relative to what you’re trying to achieve. For example, if you’re considering a new product or how to improve a product there you’d be analysing how you can meet jobs and if they would deliver value to large enough market while delivering enough profit. Perhaps you’d be considering how to create a disruptive product such as a low cost innovative solution. If you were considering how to go-to-market more effectively you would start group common areas to consider how to create strategies that will resonate more effectively (than some of the 50 personas our pal ChatGPT created). Perhaps you will start building out a new messaging framework. What you might see is that there are opportunities you hadn’t really considered at all. Or perhaps you consider how you can collect better data to deliver more effective campaigns or to better understand your market because now you’re aware there are questions you don’t have data to answer.

To be continued…

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