Consumer ReportIf you think you know your target market, think again.

He was Joe Average; she was Jane Doe. They lived in atraditional nuclear family and watched "Laverne &Shirley" for laughs. They thought disco was hip and computerswere for nerds. And they believed there was such a thing as theright brand of dishwashing liquid or the correct kind of car. Theywere typical American consumers--and back in 1977, the world ofbusiness still believed in them.

But a funny thing happened on the way to 1997. We discovered wewere not a nation of typical citizens with common market needs anda one-size-fits-all identity. We were large-sized women and singledads, ethnic minorities, yuppies and slackers, affluent seniors,savvy teens, gourmet coffee drinkers, self-made millionaires andburnouts seeking lives of voluntary simplicity. Instead of assumingthat one "head of household"--presumably a man--wascalling all the shots on purchases, businesses learned to recognizethe considerable economic muscle of women and children.