M for Marketing , M for Metros

I was going through some videos which were talking about consumer behavior and marketing patterns. It was interesting to notice that most of the speakers related marketing buzz and product advertisements to day to day life of consumers. But when I tried to understand the situation deeply, it reflects a very bizarre concept. Most of the marketing campaigns are designed based upon the consumer behavior studied in big metro cities. Be it New York in US, Toronto in Canada or Mumbai in India. Marketers study the consumer behavior in these metro cities and launch the products and campaigns based upon the findings. Interestingly people in other places in each country follow the trends adapted in those big cities. This pattern becomes even stronger when it comes to technology, fashion and entertainment. Considering the fact that only 16% of US population is in NY, 16% of Canada population is in Toronto and .09% of India population lives in Mumbai, it raises a big question why people want to follow the trends set up in these big cities.
I thought of only two big reasons behind the trend setter image of these big metro cities. First reason is that these cities are metropolitan in true senses. People across the nation/nations visit these cities for several reasons which may be for business, employment or travel. These cities are the best places for marketers to conduct market research on people from all kind of backgrounds. Also the same set of people carries back the marketing message to their places. All in all these cities work as a communication channel for the marketers.
Second reason is the already existing brand images of these cities which play a big role in providing emotional satisfaction to the people following a particular trend. Any given day a person will wear a t-shirt saying I love NY rather than wearing a t-shirt saying I love Jacksonville or even I love Las Vegas. This brand image helps marketers to focus on just one city and once any product is successful in these big cities, it is easier to replicate the success in other places.
However changing marketing strategies and delivery channels may force marketers to think for new strategies specifically when internet is changing the consumer behavior. Will it pose a threat to brand image of big cities? The answer is still not known but question is already knocking at the marketers’ office door.