It might be time to wave goodbye to good ol' Ogilvy's quote.

At last.

To be honest, the consumer is still your wife (assuming you have one) and still she is right next to you - not a distant, statistical unit roaming around the aisles of supermarkets and getting sampled by researchers.

But everything else has changed so dramatically that you might turn around and wonder, "Who is my wife, really?"

First of all, 30% to 60% of married people cheat at some point in their lives.

Almost 50% of marriages end in divorce.

And more than 16% of Americans approve of polygamy - which is, more than any single GOP candidate approval rate.

Feminism is no longer a fringe philosophy: it is law of the land. This means that, even if you live in a rural, white bread traditional society, your wife would hardly audition for the role of the goods-buying, house-keeping woman Ogilvy wrote about.

They might still do that as a "job" but it's what's in their heads that changed.

The internet has brought them to relate with individuals very far away from your usual social circles, influencing her tastes and interests.

So why don't you just stop "testing" your next ad against whom you think to be your personal "average consumer"? Try and call your wife "average" though...

We are all, intentionally or unintentionally, much more informed on products and trends than we used to be.

An average automotive consumer can be a very savvy home interior consumer.

We are fragmented and unpredictable - that's why "testing" against "average" might be a bad idea, and could hinder creativity and possibilities.

If you really wanna know your wife, you'll have to anticipate her.
Keep your eyes on all trends and corners of the world, 24/7. Take a walk outside and get inspiration from the real lives of people. Then develop an inner gut feeling or instinct you can reliably follow.
Is that anything your wife can do on her own? If so, she's perfect for our team.

THEMONK