Minh Thuy Nguyen, Global Director Behavioral Consulting, Mediaplus
1.178
high-net-worth individuals surveyed in 10 countries
4
behavior-based target segments identified
85%
untapped growth potential uncovered
Agencies
Mediaplus
Client
Global luxury brand in the premium segment
Year
2026
Location
Germany
Industry
Luxury Consumer Goods
Services
Data & Analytics, Behavioral Segmentation, Media Strategy
Challenge
A global luxury goods manufacturer wanted to grow significantly without compromising its iconic brand positioning.
High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are among the most purchase-ready, but also most challenging target audiences in marketing: hard to reach, fragmented in subcultures, barely captured by classic demographic surveys. Existing data delivered surface descriptions, no motivational structures. Demographic segmentation models could not answer which groups were actually ready to buy and which brand message would move them. A new methodology was needed.
Solution
Mediaplus deployed Tribes.AI: a behavior-based segmentation model that explains purchase decisions not through demographics, but through social norms and brand-self congruence.
The framework analyzed three dimensions: Behavioral Norms (investment behavior in the HNWI environment), Conversational Norms (communication frequency on relevant topic worlds), and Brand-Self Alignment (congruence between brand identity and self-image). A survey of over 1,100 high-net-worth individuals in 10 countries formed the data foundation. From this, four behavioral segments with fundamentally different decision psychology were developed, including a top-priority segment that represents 25% of the market and shows the highest conversion probability.
Result: Mediaplus delivered a scalable framework that translates behavior-based segments directly into channel-specific media strategies, making 85% of previously untapped growth potential strategically addressable.
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"Behavior-based segmentation with Tribes.AI shows what demographic data can never deliver: it makes visible why purchase decisions in premium categories are actually made, and gives companies the strategic foundation to be present exactly there."
About Mediaplus
Mediaplus is one of the largest independent media agencies in Europe and part of the House of Communication - an integrated communications network headquartered in Munich. Founded in 1983, the agency group now employs approximately 2,300 specialists across more than 20 international locations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and markets in Asia and North America. Its service portfolio includes Media Strategy & Innovation, Media Planning & Buying, Data & AI, Performance Marketing, Advertising Technologies, and Commerce & Retail Media. With the group-wide AI framework House of AI, Mediaplus combines proprietary data models with in-depth market expertise to achieve measurable brand growth for clients. Mediaplus has repeatedly been listed as a leading independent media agency in the WARC Media 100 ranking and the RECMA Quality Ranking, and in 2026 was named Media Agency of the Year for the fifth time at the German Media Awards.
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Sabine Rössing
Mediaplus
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FAQs
Behavior-based segmentation classifies target audiences not by age, income, or location, but by decision psychology: social norms, group behavior, and the alignment between brand identity and self-image. This approach explains why people buy and how they make decisions, providing more precise foundations for media selection and message development than classic demographic models.
Tribes.AI is particularly suited for companies in premium and luxury segments where purchase decisions are strongly shaped by social belonging and brand self-image – for example in the areas of luxury goods, automotive, financial services, and high-end consumer goods. Wherever demographic profiles fail to capture the actual purchase motivations, behavior-based segmentation creates strategic added value.
Tribes.AI connects behavioral segments directly with channel-specific recommendations: which segments respond more strongly to digital channels, which to traditional media? Which messages activate which groups? The result is a prioritized media strategy that is based not on assumptions, but on proven decision behavior – and can feed directly into media planning.