Sinus Milieus in Dictionary Part II

Middle class

The middle class consists of the following sinus milieus:

Adaptive-pragmatic milieu (ADA)

This milieu can be assigned to the rapidly growing future milieu, because more and more young people can be assigned to this milieu. ADA members are very deeply rooted in their homeland and instead of breaking boundaries, they prefer to adapt to the changed circumstances. Conventional safety is paramount.

Example of a typical person in the ADA milieu : at home in a stable family, possibly owner of a home and interested in a wide range of leisure activities, which is why the adaptive-pragmatic is probably also a member of a sports club.

Share of the total population : 11% / 7.7 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Bourgeois Center (BÜM)

Here we are dealing with one of the largest sinus milieus. The BÜM lies exactly in the middle of the coordinate system. In this milieu you not only find the mainstream, but also attach great importance to harmony. The members are neither politically nor privately looking for any kind of discussion, instead they try to be as safe as possible.

Example of a typical representative of the middle class : enjoys a certain level of prosperity, has a family and enjoys life to the full.

Share of the total population : 13% / 8.8 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Socio-ecological milieu (SÖK)

In the socio-ecological milieu the opponents of the middle class can be found, because this group is extremely fond of criticizing society. This milieu is very skeptical and critical of the exploitation of nature and other people. Socio-ecological people see multiculturalism, diversity and political correctness as the only acceptable attitudes.

Example of a classic person in the SÖK milieu : enjoys a high level of education, is often involved in social and ecological projects and is active in neighborhood help.

Share of the total population : 7% / 5.1 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Lower class

According to Wholevehicles, the lower class, also called lower middle, consists of the following milieus:

Traditional milieu (TRA)

In this milieu we find the older generation who love security and order. Those belonging to it live in the petty bourgeoisie and are attached to the classic working-class culture. You live a down-to-earth and frugal life. The traditional milieu can be compared with the middle class, because traditional people also tend to be conformist: Why should you change something when you can easily adapt? Traditional ones are found not only in the lower but also in the middle class.

Example of a typical traditional person : is already retired, has a large family and has probably lived in the same apartment or house for several decades.

Share of the total population : 11% / 7.8 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Precarious environment (PRE)

This milieu is in the lower class. This in turn explains the constant fear of the future and poor self-esteem. Members of this group like to compare themselves with financially better off and work hard not to lose touch with them. This of course also results in the consumer behavior typical for this milieu, because members try to emulate the other higher milieus.

Example of a member of the PRE milieu : has a low level of education, is looking for work or is only marginally employed. Besides his small apartment, he can hardly afford anything. Electronic devices provide the necessary compensation for leisure time.

Share of the total population : 9% / 6.4 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Hedonistic milieu (HED)

The hedonistic milieu is currently the largest sinus milieu. It includes numerous people of low social status. Often the hedonists are young people such as schoolchildren, trainees or young professionals. Members of this group mostly have a low income, but love to spend it on expensive leisure activities. Hedonists love the present and don’t worry about the future. Sprawling parties and carefree consumption are top priority.

Example of a typical representative of the hedonistic milieu : has a simple secondary school diploma, is currently in training and has not yet started a family of his own. Lives either alone or with a partner in a small, well-equipped apartment. Celebrations at the weekend have high priority, before the daily routine starts again on Monday.

Share of the total population : 15% / 10.4 million people of the German-speaking resident population aged 14 and over

Define the target group with the help of the sine model

As a founder, you use Sinus-Milieus when you create a marketing concept or define a target group. After all, the crucial question for every entrepreneur is which customers you are ultimately dealing with:

Who are my clients?
What problems and needs do they have?
How and where can I best reach my customers?

These and many other questions are answered in the best possible way with the help of a target group definition. In addition to gender, age and other important socio-demographic data, you should also know the habits, lifestyles and interests of your customers. This is exactly where the sine model or the fee-based sine milieus come into play.

Sinus milieus can be used in a wide variety of industries. There are now a large number of different case studies in which the sine model has already been used. The Sinus Institute advertises with these two application examples:

TV commercial : The well-known “Tropical Islands” water park tested the effectiveness of TV commercials using Sinus-Milieus and then adapted the video editing including music. This demonstrably increased the effect of the TV commercial.
Acquisition of new customers through personalized advertising emails : TUI Deutschland was able to increase its sales by an incredible 980,000 euros through the use of Sinus-Milieus . The Sinus-Milieus were used for targeted addressing in advertising emails.

The second example shows that the descriptions of the individual groups are extremely helpful, because they allow you to find the best possible address. After all, a member of the conservative-established milieu would like to be addressed differently than a person who could be assigned to the hedonists – even if both are interested in one and the same product. This applies equally to the language and the presentation of advertising messages.

Advantages and disadvantages of the sinus milieus

If you want to integrate Sinus-Milieus into your marketing and use the data for your target group definition, you can look forward to the following advantages: