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West Michigan - Psychographic Profile
The four publications West Michigans are probably reading are Revue, Grand Rapids Magazine, Michigan Home and Lifestyle, and Grand Rapids Business Journal. Approximately 88% of upper-middle-class residents in West Michigan are engaged in the West Michigan arts and music community. The top ranked Grand Rapids social media influencers that are most followed and have the highest influence in the area are based on the following platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Publications or blogs
- Revue is West Michigan's Art and Entertainment Guide. According to the 2019 media kit, 80% of readers earn $100,000 and more. Moreover, 62.8% own a home.
- Grand Rapids Magazine is one of the larger centers of Western Michigan and the magazine represents the audience of the area. 58% of the Grand Rapid Magazine's readership is currently earning over $100,000.
- Michigan Home and Lifestyle is read almost exclusively by people in Michigan, with 97% of the subscribers residing in Michigan.
- Grand Rapids Business Journal's readership is almost exclusively upper-middle-class West Michigans with 81% of readers having a household income over $100,000.
HOBBIES AND INTERESTS
- According to Revue, 95% of their readers look for the advertisements in Revue to learn about events and dining specials. 64% dine out once a week or more, while 67% go to bars frequently.
- 79% drink craft beer and locally made spirits (52.3% drink them “often”), while 69% go out at least monthly for live entertainment (15% go out “at least weekly”).
- 88% are engaged in the West Michigan arts and music community “sometimes” or “often”.
- According to the Grand Rapid Magazine's statistics, 90% of the audience attended college. Moreover, the audience plans to purchase the following in the next 12 months: 91% Dining and entertainment, 79% Women’s apparel, 66% Medical/physicians, 65% Vacations/travel, 62% Men’s apparel, 62% Furniture/new home furnishings, 49% Health club/exercise class, 41% Lawn & garden, 35% Financial planner (retirement, investing), 34% Television/electronics, 33% Home improvement, 33% Jewelry, 26% Veterinarian, 21% Education/classes, and 19% Antiques.
- According to the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the interests of Western Michigans are as follows: the cost of health insurance, the economy, a balanced budget, government regulation and taxes.
Consumer brands
- According to research, the most popular brands across the whole country (including West Michigan) and across all social status and income brackets is McDonald's.
Social media
- According to Influence.co, the top ranked Grand Rapids social media influencers that are most followed and have the highest influence in the area are based on the following platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Research methodology
The last available information on West Michigans is from the 2010 Census, which provides mainly information regarding the demographics of the area. As the information requested was not available directly through the sources such as the local government, Michigan government, U.S. Census Data and Statistics, or the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we looked into the media sources that provide the statistics when it comes to their readership. West Michigan is composed of two major hubs — Grand Rapid and Kalamazoo. Therefore, we looked into media publications that are distinctive to these two hubs in order to be able to provide the most accurate data available for upper-middle-class population in Western Michigan. We were able to identify three different sources that publish psychographics of their readership (alongside the income) in their media kits — Grand Rapid Business Journal, Grand Rapid Magazine, Revue, and Michigan Home and Lifestyle. When it comes to consumer brands and social media, the data is limited as marketing companies have put this information behind paywalls.