July 25

Problem: We don't see a single Subaru on this map

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Do Northgate residents really read GQ?

Do people who live along Lake City Way “have it all?”

Do northern neighbors within easy walking distance of Maple Leaf Reservoir Park really live the “American Dream?” While to the south we are a neighborhood of “Young Digerati?”

Our news partner The Seattle Times today has a fascinating piece based on census tracts and Nielsen marketing data.

“This data is intended to help marketers target likely customers — but it’s also pretty entertaining,” writes Gene Balk, the Times’ FYI guy.

His story, “What your Seattle address says about you,”  is here. The interactive map, a chunk of which is posted above, is here.

According to the marketing experts, who use a sorting hat to come up with  66 demographic categories into which we are digitally put:

Northgate residents are 32.4 percent “Big City Blues” living in older apartment complexes, and 23.3  percent “Urban Elders” who read GQ.

East of Northgate, toward Lake City Way, we are 30.7 percent “Money & Brains” – advanced degrees, sophisticated tastes and driving Mercedes Class E autos, and 27.4 percent “American Dreams” who go to the zoo and drive VW Tiguans.

In the middle of Maple Leaf (including Maple Leaf Life South) we are 35.1 percent “American Dreams” and 22.8 percent Money & Brains, traveling often for business.

South of the park we are 40.5 percent “Young Digerati” – driving Audi A3s, living the trendy micro-brew lifestyle and flying to Asia now and then.

The problem here is obvious. The national car of Seattle is nowhere mentioned.

About the author 

Sara W

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  1. Through most of the 1980s and into the late ’90s, Volvo was the unofficial Car of Seattle; think of a Volvo 245 station wagon. It had something to do with the Scandinavians who helped settle the city, as well as originating from a country – Sweden – whose values seemed to match those of the average Seattle resident; in automotive terms those were: safety, solidity and good value for the money, with exterior design being a reflection of the Mies van der Rohe maxim of “form follows function.”

    The other Swedish marque – SAAB – was also a contender; in part because it also reflected those automotive values, while offering it in a quirky package that made a statement about the owner.

    But then, Subaru got serious about all-wheel-drive and began to supplant SAAB, with such alacrity, that by 2003, SAAB, then owned by GM, badge-engineered a new model, by co-opting a Subaru Impreza. Meanwhile, Volvo was bought by Ford, who worked to take that marque upscale; thus destroying the value proposition, while some serious build quality issues surfaced.

    Subaru also made a concerted effort, through advertising and event sponsorship, to reach out to the lesbian and gay community. That, and the fact that the Swedish manufacturers had lost their mojo, ensured that Subaru became the new Official Car of Seattle.

    Of course, the hybrid phenomenon saw the Toyota Prius giving Subaru some serious competition, in terms of reputation, if not sales numbers. Tesla is now working that same angle.

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