Marketing is Chaos

I’m still struggling with the unpredictability of marketing – the problem of trying to predict the irrational. My latest thought is to consider the application of chaos theory. The idea is that even though you cannot predict the results of individual decisions (who will buy?), there are still recurring patterns that become visible as you look at the system as a whole.

Please keep in mind that this is the Sesame Street version of theories that are almost as complex as proving gravity. How well can one predict human behavior by measuring a smaller sample? In a marketing sense we have to group these decision makers by both cultural and economic characteristics. You can keep slicing the groups and hopefully your results get more and more accurate. Perhaps it’s time for me to head back to the library and see what I can find…