Problem-Awareness Market Split
Separate category-aware buyers from people who must first discover the problem.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
This market split distinguishes people who already understand the problem and are comparing solutions from people who have the underlying need or capacity but have never considered the category. The first group needs differentiation, proof, and decision support. The second needs education that changes its perception of the category and demonstrates how the product can improve life. Teams build separate messages, content, calls to action, and success metrics for each state rather than treating the entire market as ready to buy. The framework expands demand without confusing education with conversion: first establish relevance and possibility, then help the prospect evaluate the offering against alternatives.
Origin
A Marketing Against The Grain host distilled Artsy's strategy into two audiences: people choosing among known solutions and people who had never considered that they could or should buy art.
Core principles
- 01Not every prospect understands the problem being solved.
- 02Category-aware buyers need choice support.
- 03Unaware prospects need education and perception change.
- 04The larger market may sit before category consideration.
How to run it
- 1
Map the Underlying Need
Define the need, desire, or capacity that exists whether or not prospects recognize the category.
Pro tip Describe it in the customer's language rather than product terminology.
Watch out Do not equate lack of category awareness with lack of need.
- 2
Separate Awareness States
Divide prospects into those comparing solutions and those who have not considered solving the problem through this category.
Pro tip Use behavior and interview evidence rather than demographic proxies.
Watch out A prospect may know the category while still misunderstanding its relevance.
- 3
Serve the Aware Group
Provide comparisons, differentiation, proof, and low-friction decision support.
Pro tip Answer the specific trade-offs buyers use to select among products.
Watch out Do not waste their time by repeatedly explaining a problem they already accept.
- 4
Educate the Unaware Group
Show why the category matters, who can participate, and how the product creates value.
Pro tip Lead with relatable outcomes and identity-changing examples.
Watch out A premature sales pitch can reinforce the belief that the category is not for them.
- 5
Track State Transitions
Measure whether education moves people from indifference or uncertainty into active consideration.
Pro tip Use milestones such as content depth, account creation, or first guided action.
Watch out Do not judge awareness campaigns solely by immediate purchase conversion.
In the wild
Existing collectors already understand art buying and compare Artsy with established purchasing routes. Interested noncollectors first need to see that art is accessible, valuable, and available to people like them.
→ Each audience receives communication appropriate to its level of category awareness.
A workflow platform sends comparison pages to teams evaluating automation tools while teaching spreadsheet-dependent teams how recurring manual work creates hidden costs.
→ The company captures active demand while cultivating future category buyers.
Common mistakes
One Funnel for Both Groups
Prospects who need category education react differently from buyers already comparing vendors.
Selling Before Establishing Relevance
Feature-heavy pitches do not work when a person has not accepted that the category belongs in their life.
Measuring Only Purchases
Education should also be evaluated by movement into category consideration.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for new categories and products whose largest prospective audience has not considered purchasing any solution.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for urgent, universally understood needs where nearly every qualified buyer already recognizes the problem.
From the transcript
“There's really two types of people you're trying to market to when you have business.”
“There's people who understand the problem you solve, they're just trying to make a decision between your product and the other products you solve that…”
“Then there's all of the other people who don't even understand they have that problem in this case.”
From the episode
Rethinking your Market with Everette Taylor (CMO of Artsy)
Everette Taylor